Big Ten Football

Former Penn State linebacker Bani Gbadyu died Saturday morning after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, per Frank Bodani of the York Daily Record. He was 34.

Bodani reported on Gbadyu's cancer diagnosis in an article earlier this month, writing that the former Nittany Lion was "stunned" by the news and was hospitalized in intensive care. Gbadyu also said the following in a Facebook post last week, per Bodani:

"I feel blessed that there is an army invading heaven with prayers on my behalf. I know and can feel that God is loving me through this unimaginable time. I know everyone is supporting me, and most importantly my wife, family and kids believe in me. I hope that my journey can be a lesson for someone, at some point in time. We are going to lean on God and Fight On. #FightOnBani."

A GoFundMe page created to help Gbadyu's family with medical costs had raised more than $85,000 as of Saturday night.

Gbadyu, who left war-torn Liberia with his father and older brother when he was a young boy, played for the Nittany Lions from 2007-10, serving primarily as a backup linebacker and occasional starter.

In four seasons at Penn State, he posted 118 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, one interception, one pass breakup and one forced fumble.

Following his college football career, Gbadyu earned a tryout with the then-Oakland Raiders but was cut early and never played a game for the franchise. In recent years, he served as a high school football coach around Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

It wasn't always pretty, but the No. 2 Ohio State football team crushed the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes 54-10 on Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

OSU's defense stole the show. The Buckeyes forced six Iowa turnovers, including a pick-six from linebacker Tommy Eichenberg off Iowa starting quarterback Spencer Petras that gave the Buckeyes a 25-10 lead in the second quarter.

For the day, Iowa had three lost fumbles and three picks. The Hawkeyes also turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt attempt.

Petras and backup quarterback Alex Padilla combined to complete just 11 of 24 passes for 81 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Sam LaPorta was the only Iowa pass-catcher to register more than seven receiving yards.

Iowa's defense held its own for much of the game. Joe Evans sacked Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud, recovered the ensuing fumble and ran 13 yards for a touchdown to put Iowa up 6-3 early. OSU only had 128 yards of offense by halftime, and Stroud tossed an early third-quarter pick.

However, Iowa's offense couldn't get anything going, and Stroud eventually got into a rhythm with four second-half touchdown passes. For the day, he completed 20 of 30 passes for 286 yards.

Ultimately, Twitter pointed the finger at head coach Kirk Ferentz and his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, for the team's performance.

Iowa entered Saturday ranked 128th out of 131 FBS teams in scoring (14.7 points per game), including a seven-point outing against Division FCS South Dakota State to start the year.

Iowa will look to bounce back Saturday at home against Northwestern. OSU will visit Penn State on the same day.

With junior running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Blake Corum leading the way once again, the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines remained undefeated with a 41-17 win over the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Corum topped 100 rushing yards for the fourth consecutive game, finishing with 166 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in the key victory over a Big Ten rival.

The praise rolled in for Corum on social media during and after his performance, with Nicole Auerbach and Dane Brugler of The Athletic heralding him as one of the best players in the country:

With Michigan leading 6-0 thanks to a pair of field goals, Corum was responsible for the first touchdown of the day in the second quarter, powering into the end zone from one yard out:

Penn State willed its way back into the game after that, however, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and seizing a 17-16 lead early in the third quarter.

Corum's backfield mate, Donovan Edwards, had a great game in his own right with 173 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and he helped restore the Wolverines' lead with a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

With the momentum in Michigan's favor once again, Corum went back to work, scoring a 60-plus-yard touchdown of his own just minutes later when he outran the defense for a 61-yard score:

That touchdown extended Michigan's lead to 14 points, and Penn State never managed to challenge the Wolverines again for the remainder of the game.

With Corum leading a dominant outing for the Michigan rushing attack, the Heisman Trophy hype train was out in full force on Twitter:

While it has traditionally been common for running backs to win the Heisman Trophy, things have tipped far more in favor of quarterbacks in recent years.

In fact, no running back has won the Heisman since Alabama's Derrick Henry accomplished the feat in 2015. Before that, Alabama's Mark Ingram was the last running back to do so in 2009.

It is even less common for a Michigan player to win the Heisman, as it has only been done three times in the illustrious history of the program, with the most recent example being cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.

This year's Michigan team is a rarity in present-day football, though, in that it is a top team in the mix for a national championship that loves to pound the rock on offense rather than airing it out.

There is still plenty of football to be played this season, but if the Wolverines continue to win and Corum continues to be the primary reason why, he stands a good chance of getting invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York City.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day told reporters on Tuesday that running back TreVeyon Henderson is expected to play against Michigan State on Saturday after missing this week's 49-10 win over Rutgers with a minor injury.

Henderson reportedly suffered the injury in warmups ahead of the Rutgers game and was kept out as a precautionary measure.

"It's nothing big, it's just we gotta be sure if we're gonna put him in the game," Day said on the Big Ten Network during halftime of the Rutgers win (h/t Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors). "We weren't sure. Something that kinda came up pregame, so we're gonna be careful."

Henderson, a sophomore, was fantastic in his freshman season, rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 27 catches for 312 yards and another four scores. He's rushed for 318 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Injuries had already played a part in his season, however. Henderson left the Sept. 17 win over Toledo in a walking boot, though he played the next week against Wisconsin and rushed for 121 yards in the 52-21 win.

Junior running back Miyan Williams stepped into the starting role with Henderson out, rushing for 189 yards and five scores.

"I look at it as we have two starters," running backs coach and run-game coordinator Tony Alford told reporters on Tuesday. "That's how I've looked at it the whole time."

Ohio State has steamrolled most of its opponents en route to a 5-0 record, rushing for 226.2 yards per game (11th in the country) and 48.8 points per contest (third). As usual, the Buckeyes are stacked on offense.

Keeping Henderson healthy is important as the team heads into the meat of its Big Ten schedule, however, even with an excellent option like Williams at the ready.

Paul Chryst is no longer the head football coach at Wisconsin, and he took a reduced buyout as he was fired.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg noted the school said he accepted a reduced buyout of $11 million.

He had approximately $20 million remaining on his deal that ran through January 2027. The buyout money will be funded by the University of Wisconsin Foundation, which is the school's fundraising organization, and must be paid by Feb. 1.

Chryst was fired after a 2-3 start that fell short of the standards that he helped put in place.

He started as the head coach in the 2015 season and went 67-26 with four double-digit win campaigns and three Big Ten Championship Game appearances. While he lost all three of those conference title games, twice to Ohio State and once to Penn State, the Badgers have still largely been the class of the Big Ten West under his leadership.

They were even one win away from the College Football Playoff during the 2017 campaign but saw their undefeated journey come to an end when they lost to the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Reaching the Big Ten title game, especially with star running back Braelon Allen leading the way, was once again the expectation this year, but Wisconsin is 0-2 in conference play with losses to Ohio State and Illinois.

Chryst was fired after the 24-point defeat to the Fighting Illini, although a 17-14 nonconference loss to Washington State in which Wisconsin enjoyed a 401-253 advantage in total yards and still fell short likely didn't help his cause either.

Jim Leonhard will take over in an interim role for the Badgers.

Leonhard was the defensive coordinator and appeared in 39 games for Wisconsin from 2002 through 2004 as a player. He also played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.

Next up for the Badgers is a conference game against Northwestern on Saturday.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano played down any significance to the heated exchange he had with Ohio State's Ryan Day on the field Saturday.

Schiano told reporters it was merely "two coaches who protect their players":

It’s not Ryan Day and I. My player was in a sea of Ohio State players and it was closing fast. I wanted to make sure of two things: I wanted to stop our team from coming across the field (because) that’s how things get very ugly, and I wanted to make sure our player got out of there safely. We’re both very competitive guys. I have the upmost respect for Ryan. We’re good friends. We’re good. There’s no problem between us.

Up 39 points in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes ran a fake punt. Jesse Mirco went for 22 yards and was hit after going out of bounds. That triggered a brief shoving match between members of the two teams.

Schiano walked toward the OSU sideline as well and had some choice words for Day.

Like his counterpart, Day was quick to move on from the matter.

"You know, it's one coach defending their side against another coach," he told reporters. "No hard feelings at all. Talked to him after the game, and I have an unbelievable amount of respect for him."

Along with coaching in the same conference, Day and Schiano spent two seasons together on the Ohio State staff. Prior to succeeding Urban Meyer, Day was the Buckeyes' co-offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018, when Schiano was an associate head coach and defensive coordinator.

Ohio State rolled over the Scarlet Knights 49-10 at Ohio Stadium. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Buckeyes have scored 49-plus points in nine straight contests against Rutgers, the longest such streak by one team over the same opponent since 1936.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud has been primarily responsible for Ohio State's offensive success over the past two seasons, but running back Miyan Williams took center stage Saturday.

In the No. 3 Buckeyes' 49-10 win over Rutgers, Williams rushed for 189 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries.

Williams' five rushing touchdowns tied an Ohio State single-game record also held by Pete Johnson and Keith Byars.

The junior from Cincinnati punched the ball into the end zone three times from in close during the first half, but his primary highlight of the day occurred early in the third quarter when he blasted through and past the Rutgers defense for a 70-yard touchdown:

That particular play had Twitter buzzing, including Los Angeles Lakers superstar and noted Ohio State football fan LeBron James:

LeBron wasn't the only one who marveled at Williams' performance, as other fans talked him up on social media as well:

Williams was off to a strong start this season, rushing for 308 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 7.2 yards per carry entering Saturday's game.

Against Rutgers, Williams set career highs in carries, rushing yardage and rushing touchdowns, and he perhaps put himself in position to challenge TreVeyon Henderson for the title of No. 1 running back at OSU.

Henderson missed the game with an undisclosed injury, but the Ohio State running game didn't miss a beat, as Williams tied a school record for rushing touchdowns in a game.

The offense will most likely run through Stroud moving forward, but if the undefeated Buckeyes are going to contend for a national championship, a strong running game spearheaded by Williams could end up being key.

Ohio State will have to play Rutgers without wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the junior star will be held out of Saturday's game because of a hamstring injury he originally suffered in the season-opener against Notre Dame.

This will be the third game Smith-Njigba has missed already this season. He sat out wins over Arkansas State on Sept. 10 and Wisconsin on Sept. 24.

The Buckeyes star attempted to play against Toledo on September 17. He had just two receptions for 33 yards in a 77-21 victory.

Thamel noted there is no timetable for Smith-Njigba to return, and the Buckeyes medical staff is treating the injury "with an abundance of caution to make sure he's healthy for the finishing stretch of the schedule."

Expectations were incredibly high for Smith-Njigba coming into 2022. The 20-year-old was a standout for Ohio State last year on a team that also had Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, both first-round draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft, at wide receiver.

Smith-Njigba finished third in the nation with 1,606 receiving yards and tied for ninth with 95 receptions in 2021. He had at least 100 yards in each of Ohio State's final five games, including a school- and bowl-record 347 yards in a 48-45 Rose Bowl victory over Utah.

Despite not having Smith-Njigba for most of the season thus far, Ohio State's passing offense hasn't suffered. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,222 yards with 16 touchdowns and one interception. Emeka Egbuka leads the team with 26 receptions and 442 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr. has 387 yards on 21 catches.

Ohio State (4-0) is currently the No. 3 team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Its next game against a ranked opponent is on Oct. 29 on the road against No. 11 Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

LeBron James didn't get the chance to suit up for Ohio State or any other college basketball team because he went straight to the NBA from high school, but it's apparently too early to rule out the chances of the King suiting up for the Buckeyes on the gridiron.

James turned heads Saturday when he tweeted "Do I have college eligibility if I went to play another sport besides basketball? How does that rule work?"

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith jumped at the chance to help:

It is no secret that LeBron is a massive Ohio State fan. He was on the sidelines for the Buckeyes' win over Notre Dame to start the season, was tweeting about Saturday's blowout victory over Wisconsin and called for quarterback C.J. Stroud to win the Heisman Trophy.

James also made it clear in the past he would have gone to Ohio State if he did attend college.

Were it not for basketball, James may have pursued a football career. After all, he was a two-time All-Ohio wide receiver in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary's and was even recruited by former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel.

Lacing up the football cleats again after a basketball career and around 40 years old may be a different story for James, especially if he was interested in playing at the level the national champion-contending Buckeyes do on a weekly basis, but Smith might see an opportunity to help make it happen.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes continued to roll Saturday with a 52-21 win over unranked Wisconsin to remain undefeated in a season that could be one of the program's best since it reached the national title game during the 2020 campaign.

Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud continued what could end up being a Heisman-worthy campaign, completing 17-of-27 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns against one interception.

Running back Miyan Williams had his best game of the season, rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka reeled in six passes for 118 yards and two scores.

Running back TreVeyon Henderson finished with 21 carries for 121 yards, and tight end Cade Stover finished with four catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

It was a dominant outing for the Buckeyes as nearly everyone contributed to the win, and that led to fans on Twitter lauding the team for being the best in all of college football, ahead of both Alabama and Georgia.

It was an impressive victory for Ohio State, especially considering they were without top wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba because of injury.

If the Buckeyes continue to compete at this high of a level, they'll undoubtedly punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff later this season. Next up on the schedule is a matchup against unranked Rutgers on Oct. 1.

If Ohio State ranks No. 1 in the next edition of the AP Top 25 Poll, it will be interesting to see where the current No. 1, Georgia, ranks and No. 2 Alabama ranks.