Thriller Headlines Action for Big 10 Teams

09.23.2025College Men

Fans saw some significant drama in the Big 10 this weekend with Michigan State and Illinois producing a bit of a barnburner.

Before we get to that, Wisconsin looked impressive in a non-conference win over Iowa Central CC. Head Coach Kurtis Shepherd has been pleased with the Badgers' efforts so far.

"We've had a heavy focus on our defense and the breakdown this season; traditionally those are areas we've struggled with in the past," Shepherd told GRR.

Wisconsin's senior leadership of Oliver Held, captain and hooker, and lock Joel Sawatzky, have been leading the defensive effort not only in terms of making tackles and challenging at the breakdown, but also in organizing everyone else.

The Iowa Central game was a good test of whether Wisconsin can hang with more athletic teams that play fast. Their team approach saw them through.

Ohio State played a non-conference clash with Penn State and fell 33-13, Notre Dame and Purdue, meanwhile, played each other but in a game that won't figure in the standings. UND has impressed so far this season and they won 48-0. Indiana, meanwhile, ran up against a Lindenwood team playing their opener, and it was Lindenwood 78 Indiana 7.

In another in-conference but non-standings match, Illinois and Michigan State went back and forth. MSU, stung by a loss last week against Wisconsin which wasn't helped by a late arrive into Madison, was determined to start better.

They got it, with Jeronimo Ballesty and Miles Bell leading the charge for the Spartans.

"We played much better as a team and not a group of individuals," said MSU Head Coach Jim Rogers. "And, for the most part, we made our tackles."

Illinois, too, was looking for stronger work on defense, and while 68 points in total were scored, both coaches saw some steps forward in that area.

"Our tackle percentage was uch high [this week] and the guys played a full 80 minutes," said Illini Head Coach Kevin Battle. "We had a few injuries from last weekend so we had some young guys step up and perform."

Those included Gabe Patrascu at center, flanker Jobe Bottarini, and fullback Jack Decker.

All of this led to Illinois leading the game 34-27 with time winding down.

Michigan State was pressuring and Illinois eventually game up a yellow card as they tried to prevent the late try.

In the end, Josiah Rosa raced into the corner for the Spartans to make it 34-32. Eduardo Ferdinandi then slotted the clutch, touchline conversion to tie the game 34-34, and that's how it ended.

Both coaches lamented some missed chances, but in the end this was a thriller.

Next week six of the eight Big 10 Conference teams will play actual standings-relevant games with Notre Dame at Michigan State, Ohio State at Michigan, and Wisconsin at Illinois.

Purdue plays a non-conference match with Trine, and Indiana hosts Kentucky.

Thriller Headlines Action for Big 10 Teams

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