On basic football, this was a blowout. We outgained them 415 to 265. We had more passing yards. We outrushed them 211 to 80. Our offensive and defensive coaches did their jobs. Our "don't get penalties" coach should be fired.
Speaking of penalties, this crew seemed to be going out of their way to find obscure calls that are rarely made. How often do you see a defensive holding on a running play? A phantom call for equipment malfunction? And the offensive pass interference at the game was totally bogus.
That's not to say we didn't commit some dumb penalties, all on our own. But that was some crappy officiating.
There are two long-term positives coming out of this game. We are a modestly talented team. I have a hard time thinking of a lot of draft choices on this team. Maybe Jay Toia? Who else? Yet with this group of players, we are in the middle of the Big Ten standings after playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and having the most travel. I think we are out-performing our talent. The other name for that? Coaching.
I mentioned the other big positive last week. This season's improvement is something we can sell to recruits and to donors. It's a lot easier to build on a 4-win (and counting) season than a 1 or 2-win season.
We will have to replace a ton of players after this season. This win helps.