The 2014 Big Ten regular season is in the books. The league championship game arrives this season, and soon we’ll be looking forward to bowl games for 10 of the conference’s 14 teams. But first, let’s rewind a wild and wacky Week 14:
Team of the week: Illinois. Tim Beckman has gotten a lot of grief in his short tenure in Champaign, but he led the Illini to three Big Ten wins in their final five regular-season games. That was capped by Saturday’s dominant 47-33 victory at Northwestern that secured the program’s first bowl berth since 2011. It also ensured that Beckman will be back to coach the team next year.
Biggest play: J.T. Barrett’s injury may unfortunately be one of the biggest plays of the Big Ten’s season since it could affect Ohio State’s ability to get into the playoff. But with Barrett out and Michigan still hanging around, Ezekiel Elliott helped keep the Buckeyes alive for a playoff bid with a 44-yard touchdown run that finally broke the Wolverines’ back.
Big Man on Campus (offense): Gary Nova led the largest comeback in Rutgers’ history by throwing for 347 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions, in a wild 41-38 win over Maryland. It’s been an up and down year for Nova, but he helped his offensive coordinator, Ralph Friedgen, gain a measure of revenge on the Terrapins.
Big Man on Campus (defense): Wisconsin linebacker Marcus Trotter had arguably his finest game on Senior Day at Camp Randall Stadium, finishing with 14 tackles as the Badgers held Minnesota to just one score in the second half.
Big Man on Campus (special teams): Nebraska’s De’Mornay Pierson-El fueled the Huskers’ comeback win at Iowa with two long punt returns, including an 80-yard touchdown that gave Nebraska its first lead. He averaged 44.7 yards on three returns. That’s pretty good.
Biggest hangover: Maryland had a chance to finish out a pretty strong 8-4 debut season in the Big Ten. Instead, the Terrapins -- who led Rutgers 35-10 in the final minute of the first half -- collapsed in epic fashion at home. Now, the other league newbie can lord this win over them for a full year.
Best gesture: When Barrett was being loaded onto a cart after his ankle injury, Michigan’s Devin Gardner came over to him console him. The classy move transcended this otherwise bitter rivalry.
“It was sort of like having a little brother get hurt," Gardner said. "I didn't like to see that at all, so I just let him know that I'm praying for him and told him to keep praying, and that everything will be alright."
Fun with numbers: Speaking of Pierson-El, his 589 punt return yards are 232 more than the next closest player in the FBS, and his nine returns of more than 20 yards are also the most in the country. … Rutgers’ Janarion Grant, whose 71-yard kickoff return to open the second half at Maryland led to a touchdown, leads the nation in total kickoff return yards with 910. … With two more sacks on Saturday, Ohio State’s Joey Bosa is just one away from breaking Vernon Gholston’s school record of 14. And Bosa has promised to do a backflip if he breaks the mark, which could come as early as this Saturday. … Barry Sanders Watch: Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon needs 368 yards in his final two games to break Sanders' single-season FBS rushing record of 2,628. ... Indiana’s Tevin Coleman became the fourth-fastest player to reach 2,000 yards in a season. … Michigan State has now won 10 straight Big Ten road games after beating Penn State 34-10. That’s the fourth-longest active conference road winning streak in the FBS.