Big Ten Overreactions from Week 5

Uninspiring. That’s really the best word to sum up Week 5 in the Big Ten. If you were hoping to sit down and enjoy a full day of exciting football, you were undoubtedly disappointed. That’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

No nail-biters. No heart-pounding moments. Nothing. Although we did see Pat Fitzgerald on a Big Ten sideline again … at Iowa. And while that wouldn’t have captured headlines just a few months ago, given his offseason fiasco, it gave us something to talk about from the weekend. Right? Maybe? Probably not, actually.

Here are some other things to take away from the weekend … although I’ll admit, there was nothing all that exciting about Saturday’s action in the conference.

Urban Meyer goes Dwight Schrute on Ryan Day’s critics

Is it just me, or does anyone immediately think of Dwight Schrute when the word “idiot” is used? If you’re like me, then when you heard Urban Meyer’s comments regarding Ryan Day’s critics, The Office probably immediately came to mind.

Ohio State had an off week, allowing Meyer to reflect back on Day’s passionate tirade against Lou Holtz after the Buckeyes’ thrilling last-second victory over Notre Dame a week ago. That’s when Meyer channeled his inner Dwight, referring to Day’s critics as “idiots.”

“If someone criticizes Ryan Day for fighting for his team and fighting for himself, dude, you’re an idiot,” Meyer said on Urban’s Take with Tim May. “I hate to be so prompt, but I get so angry sometimes when someone’s going to criticize Ryan Day for saying what’s on his heart, but media or some other buffoon can say — I’m not saying coach Holtz is a buffoon, I love Coach Holtz — that’s between those two.”

I have to be honest, I need more coaches to start calling people idiots. College football seems more fun that way.

Mike Locksley, not a fan of smiling

They say sports are supposed to be fun. Try telling that to Mike Locksley, who was not pleased with how Maryland’s first half ended against Indiana. Reminder, the Terrapins took a 27-3 advantage into the locker room. So why was the head coach so frustrated? Veteran receiver Jeshaun Jones didn’t step out of bounds in time and time expired in the second quarter, preventing Maryland from kicking a field goal to close out the half.

Despite a nearly-flawless first half, Locksley wasn’t happy with how it ended. But, being the true professional she is, Big Ten Network’s Elise Menaker asked for the head coach to give a smile before heading into the locker room. It worked:

How do you not love Locksley? pic.twitter.com/3hI9zzfhtT

— Kevin Dunleavy (@HMailKevin) September 30, 2023

That’s some straight-up smart-assery from Locksley … and I kind of love it. That’s the same sort of reaction you get from your middle-schooler who is super embarrassed to be spending time with his parents at a local theme park.

I’m going to go ahead and assume Locksley was in a little better mood when the game ended, with the Terps improving to 5-0 after a dominating 44-17 victory over Indiana. Maybe he’ll smile a little more this week.

Indiana is starting to look like “Indinia” again

Before I dive into this (briefly), I’d like to state that rarely am I the “fire the coach” guy. It’s not a decision that falls under my jurisdiction, and I often believe that schools are too quick to part ways with an individual. But dear lord, sweet baby Jesus. Indiana has a serious issue on its hands.

Instead of playing like the Indiana team Tom Allen coached from 2017-2020, this looks more like the “Indinia” team that showed up at Kinnick Stadium in Week 1 of the 2021 campaign. And, obviously, that’s not a good thing. So, what’s a program to do?

Sunday, Allen announced he moved on from offensive coordinator Walt Bell. But play-calling is hardly the only issue in a 44-17 loss to Maryland. Is the writing on the wall in Bloomington?

The crazy part? Indiana still has Illinois, Rutgers, Michigan State and Purdue on the schedule. None of those teams are unbeatable. Is six wins still a possibility? Theoretically, yes. But so is a 2-10 season.

The J.J. McCarthy highlight reel includes a ‘Kiss Cam’ moment

Move over, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, there’s a Big Ten couple taking up camera time this week. It’s J.J. McCarthy and his girlfriend (who’s name I don’t know and really don’t care that much to research). But I DO have to make mention that, apparently, when a game is well in hand, the Michigan couple can just hang out on the sideline.

Cameras captured the two sharing a sweet moment (PDA anyone?!) while on the sideline during Michigan’s 45-7 win over Nebraska. The only reason I mention it? Because these type of things seem to be the most important topics in sports today … apparently.

Things are so out of hand in Lincoln that JJ McCarthy brought his girlfriend down to the sideline. 😂 pic.twitter.com/NxiT9HibxN

— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) September 30, 2023

To put it mildly, Week 5 in the Big Ten kinda … sucked

They can’t all be winners, can they? Sometimes, over the course of a college football season, some weekends just turn out to be clunkers. That was the case in Week 5 in the Big Ten. There were no exciting games that kept our interest for a full 60 minutes.

Seven games were played on Saturday, all of them decided by double-digits. The average margin of victory for the weekend? 26.9 points per game. Big yikes.

The closest game we got? Iowa’s 26-16 win over Michigan State. And if you actually watched that game, it wasn’t exactly a treat for the eyes. Trust me on this. Hopefully the action is a little better next weekend.