2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game

The 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game presented by Discover was played on December 1, 2018 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The eighth annual Big Ten Football Championship Game, it determined the 2018 champion of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State, the East Division champion, defeated West Division champion Northwestern 45–24 to win its second straight Big Ten Championship.[1]

2018 Discover Card Big Ten Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Championship Game Logo
Northwestern Wildcats Ohio State Buckeyes
(8–4) (11–1)
24 45
Head coach: 
Pat Fitzgerald		 Head coach: 
Urban Meyer
APCoachesCFP
212121
APCoachesCFP
666
1234 Total
Northwestern 70143 24
Ohio State 1410714 45
DateDecember 1, 2018
Season2018
StadiumLucas Oil Stadium
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana
MVPDwayne Haskins
FavoriteOhio State -14
National anthemBands of participants
RefereeRon Snodgrass
Attendance66,375
United States TV coverage
NetworkFox
AnnouncersGus Johnson (Play-By-Play)
Joel Klatt (Analyst)
Jenny Taft (Sidelines)
Nielsen ratings5.0 (8.7 million)
2018 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$  8 –1     13 –1  
No. 14 Michigan x  8 –1     10 –3  
No. 17 Penn State  6 –3     9 –4  
Michigan State  5 –4     7 –6  
Maryland  3 –6     5 –7  
Indiana  2 –7     5 –7  
Rutgers  0 –9     1 –11  
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy  8 –1     9 –5  
Wisconsin  5 –4     8 –5  
No. 25 Iowa  5 –4     9 –4  
Purdue  5 –4     6 –7  
Minnesota  3 –6     7 –6  
Nebraska  3 –6     4 –8  
Illinois  2 –7     4 –8  
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

History

The 2018 Championship Game was the eighth in the Big Ten's 123-year history and the fifth to feature the conference's East and West alignment.

Teams

Northwestern Wildcats
Main article: 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team

After starting 1–3 with losses to Duke, Akron, and No. 14 Michigan, the Wildcats rebounded to win six of their next seven, including three wins over ranked teams (No. 20 Michigan State, No. 20 Wisconsin, and No. 21 Iowa); they clinched their first-ever Big Ten Championship berth with their win against Iowa. The Wildcats entered the Big Ten Championship Game with a record of 8–4, 8–1 in Big Ten play.

Ohio State Buckeyes
Main article: 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The Ohio State Buckeyes represented the Big Ten East Division in the game. Ohio State secured the spot with a 62–39 win over fourth-ranked Michigan. This was Ohio States second consecutive season representing the East.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP NU OSU
1 10:31 10 77 4:29 OSU Terry McLaurin 16-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 0 7
1 6:27 2 80 0:51 NU John Moten IV 77-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good 7 7
1 3:29 8 65 2:58 OSU J. K. Dobbins 2-yard touchdown run, Blake Haubeil kick good 7 14
2 6:09 8 21 3:26 OSU 42-yard field goal by Blake Haubeil 7 17
2 1:21 9 78 3:53 OSU Terry McLaurin 42-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 7 24
3 13:23 5 75 1:37 NU Clayton Thorson 18-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good 14 24
3 8:03 11 85 3:24 NU Cameron Green 2-yard touchdown reception from Clayton Thorson, Charlie Kuhbander kick good 21 24
3 1:21 6 60 1:29 OSU Chris Olave 29-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 21 31
4 10:34 7 76 1:50 NU 21-yard field goal by Charlie Kuhbander 24 31
4 9:11 4 75 1:23 OSU Johnnie Dixon 9-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 24 38
4 4:09 8 54 2:32 OSU J. K. Dobbins 17-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 24 45
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 45

Statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
No. 21 Wildcats 7 0 14 3 24
No. 6 Buckeyes 14 10 7 14 45
StatisticsNUOSU
First downs2445
Plays–yards68–41887–607
Rushes–yards24–15146–108
Passing yards267499
Passing: Comp–Att–Int27–44–234–41–1
Time of possession24:0835:52
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
NorthwesternPassingClayton Thorson27–44, 267 yds., 1 TD, 2 Int.
RushingJohn Moten IV76 yds., 1 TD
ReceivingKyric McGowan4 rec., 50 yds., 1 TD
Ohio StatePassingDwayne Haskins34–41, 499 yds., 5 TD, 1 Int.
RushingJ. K. Dobbins68 yds., 1 TD
ReceivingJohnnie Dixon III7rec., 129 yds., 1 TD

[2]

See also

References
  1. "Ohio State Wins 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game". Big Ten Conference. December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  2. "Ohio State pulls away from Wildcats to win Big Ten crown". ESPN. December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
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