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Top 5 Opening Week Performers in the Big Ten
Top 5 Big Ten Performers From Opening Week
The college football world kicked off this week in every conference, and teams from the Big Ten began their journeys, hoping for a shot at a Big Ten championship and a berth to the Rose Bowl.
The Big Ten comes into 2013 after having just an average 2012 campaign as a conference, which saw their best team in the Ohio State Buckeyes, not be eligible due to NCAA sanctions. So, heading into 2013, the conference is looking to get back to national dominance and try and dethrone the powers of the SEC.
With week one finished in the conference, there wasn’t much to see that was impressive. Overall the conference was 10-2 in the first week, with the only losses coming from Iowa and Purdue. But even though there were 10 wins total, teams like Illinois, Michigan State and Nebraska struggled with much weaker opponents
.Although those teams struggled with weak teams, there was some bright spots across the conference. Indiana’s offense lit up the scoreboard against Indiana State and Ohio State and Wisconsin were able to crush their opponents.
Penn State and Northwestern played in close games and were able to pull ahead in the fourth quarter of both to secure victories.
There are still a few weeks left before conference play starts, so each team will try and work out the problems they saw from week one and correct them all before the real competition starts, which is just around the corner.
Here is a list of the top five performers from week one in the conference.
5. Collin Ellis, Northwestern Wildcats
Linebacker Collin Ellis had perhaps the biggest impact of the game for Northwestern in their victory over Cal, in a way that nobody saw coming -- two interception returns for a touchdown. Ellis’ two touchdowns were key the Wildcats pulling ahead, and he also added four tackles, one being for loss, in his performance.
4. Jordan Hall, Ohio State Buckeyes
Jordan Hall stepped in for two suspended Buckeye running backs and took full advantage of his opportunity, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in the Buckeyes’ season debut. Hall’s career has been plagued by injury, but he looked quick with the ball and ran with toughness all day long.
3. Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State Spartans
Not many bright spots came from the Michigan State Spartans' victory over Western Michigan, but Drummond was one of them. He was all over the field from his free safety spot, finishing with four tackles, an interception, a pass breakup, and also scored a defensive touchdown.
2. Tevin Coleman, Indiana Hoosiers
Coleman showed why he was one of the best freshmen in college football season and picked up right where he left off, running for 169 carries and two touchdowns on 14 carries in the Indiana Hoosier season debut. Coleman is a big, physical back and is a rising player in college football.
1. Allen Robinson, Penn State Nittany Lions
Robinson was dominant for the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2012, and he showed no signs of slowing up in their season opener against Syracuse. He had seven receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown and averaged 19 yards per catch on the day, in an absolutely dominant performance.
Be sure to check out the Rant Sports 100 in 100 Series, a preview of the top 100 College Football Teams for the 2013 Season!
