Big Ten wrap-up from Cooper & Mallory

John Cooper and Bill Mallory, a couple of our Big Ten experts, answered some of the questions we had about the Ohio State-Wisconsin game and the Big Ten as a whole. Cooper was unimpressed with his former team, and Mallory liked the way Iowa played over all against Michigan.

What did you think of the Ohio State-Wisconsin game?

Cooper: “The Ohio State Wisconsin game — one of the ugliest games to watch.  The only thing good about it for Ohio State is that they won the game.  If you guys can believe these stats: Wisconsin had the ball for 42 minutes, ran 89 plays, and had 368 yards and got beat 31-13.  Ohio State had the ball for 17 minutes, ran 40 plays and Pryor, their quarterback, had the worst game I’ve ever seen him play.  He was 5 of 13 throwing the ball.  So, Ohio State, their defense is solid, but they don’t have the athletes that some of those teams down South have but they’re pretty solid.  Their front 7 is pretty good, they rotate a lot of those guys and, again, I think Ohio State is the class team in this league but they did not play real well Saturday.”

Tell us about Wisconsin.

Cooper: “Wisconsin is a big, strong, slow team.  They didn’t have a lot of weapons on offense.  They have a big running back. If you stop him, you stop their offense.”

Mallory: “Wisconsin — that was just typical Wisconsin — they’re just a big, strong come after it team. Not fancy. They ran and threw that ball with pretty good balance. They did both pretty darn well. It’s like John said, it came down to three big plays that really cost them. They had two interceptions and that kickoff return for a touchdown. That’s the thing about Ohio State, they find a way to win. So you’ve got to take your hats off to them.”

What did you see in the Michigan-Iowa game?

Mallory:  “That was a good game. It was just went back and forth. I felt Iowa was just a little more sound team. Michigan had several turnovers that were costly to them. Right at the end, they tried to finish the game. Forcier threw an interception and he pulled him and went with another freshman quarterback. It’s never easy when you have to play two freshman QBs. Nevertheless, they’re going to be darn good football players. He brought Robinson in, and he took the ball and moved it right down the field. Michigan had about two minutes to win it, down 30-28. They came back and started another drive, but got intercepted. And that finished the game.”

How did Iowa quarterback Rick Stanzi look?

Mallory:  “Stanzi had an interception early. But I think that he’s a young man who has come along and made a lot of improvement. I remember watching him last year, and I think for the most part, Iowa is coming up with a better balance on offense. I think that he’s made a lot of progress. There were some question marks on him, but I think he’s made good headway.”

What is the best part of Iowa’s team?

Mallory: “I like Iowa’s defense. I think they play good, hard-nosed, get after it defense. I think they’re a good team on that side of the ball. I do think Iowa’s offense has come around. I think for the most part, Iowa is a good, sound team and they don’t beat themselves.”

What’s your impression of the Big Ten conference so far?

Mallory:  “I don’t think the Big Ten is in the conversation with the SEC. Ohio State is a top-10 football team, but after that, you’ve got parity in the league. You look at Penn State and Wisconsin, they’re good, but I wouldn’t classify them as great teams. I think they deserve to be in the top-25, but I still think the best team is Ohio State.”

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