Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Week 2

Sep 5, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Tyler White (87) catches a touchdown pass at Memorial Stadium. Illinois beat Kent State 52-3. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

No. 14 Purdue – No. 12 Illinois

Purdue didn’t have the best week imaginable as the Boilermakers played a strange contest against Marshall and came out on the losing end of things. After taking a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter, the Boilermakers squandered it and were outscored 14-3 to lose.

Must Read: MSU Football: 5 reasons the Spartans will win it all in 2015

Austin Appleby’s stats looked decent if you didn’t take note of the interceptions, but his 270 yards and one touchdown wasn’t enough to make up for the four picks he threw. Sophomore running back D.J. Knox did solid in his first-ever game as a Boilermaker, rushing the ball 22 times for 102 yards and a score.

Just as everyone expected, the Indiana Hoosiers‘ defense was lethargic and unprepared to stop any kind of attack led by Southern Illinois. The Hoosiers allowed over 650 total yards, including 411 passing.

Nate Sudfeld looked solid after being out for all of 2014 with an injury, passing for 349 yards and a score while UAB-transfer running back Jordan Howard also played great, rushing for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Oh yeah, and Indiana won by one point, 48-47.

Looking to see how Illinois responded to having its head coach fired a week before the season? Well, the Fighting Illini surprised some folks, including myself, and ended up blowing out Kent State, 52-3.

Quarterback Wes Lunt had 162 yards and four touchdowns, but it was really the defense that stepped up to take control of the game. Josh Ferguson added another 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground as the Fighting Illini climbed out of the cellar in the Big Ten football power rankings.

Next: No. 11 Penn State-No. 9 Rutgers