Early Big Ten action Saturday afternoon included one game that wasn't much of a game and another that, despite not being entertaining to watch, is still close.
Minnesota Trails No. 19 Michigan, 31-0: The Minnesota Golden Gophers trail the Michigan Wolverines at the half by a score of 31-0. Michigan jumped out to a quick 14-0 score and never took its foot off the pedal. The electric Denard Robinson rattled off 153 passing yards and 51 rushing yards, including two touchdowns in the air and one on the ground. Minnesota struggled to do anything offensively, netting just 52 total yards of offense in the half. Michigan running back Fitzgerald Toussaint also has 85 rushing yards on just 7 carries.
Northwestern Leads No. 24 Illinois, 14-10: In an uneventful game, despite the return of Northwestern's quarterback Dan Persa, the Wildcats look to pull the upset over the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini taking a four-point lead into halftime. Persa has completed just nine passes on the day, but two were for touchdowns, capitalizing on Illinois mistakes. The Wildcats will look to contain Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins in the second half, who has 109 receiving yards and a touchdown already. In order to pull off the upset, they'll need to slow him and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase down.
For more on Minnesota Vs. Michigan, visit The Daily Gopher and Maize n Brew, SB Nation's Gophers and Wolverines blogs. For more on Northwestern and Illinois, visit Sippin' on Purple and Hail to the Orange, SB Nation's Wildcats and Illini blogs.