Big Ten football report: Midseason axe falls on assistants for underperforming teams

The head coach position was eliminated in West Lafayette.

Two Big Ten assistants were fired over the weekend. Darren Hiller and Sean Green were dismissed for their poor performance. They join Scott Frost and Paul Chryst who lost their jobs before the halfway point of the season. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm believes the trend will only get worse. Head coaches are under the pressure of winning due to their high salaries. The Hoosiers rushed for 29 yards and allowed seven sacks in a 31-10 loss to Michigan. Rutgers is near the bottom nationally in scoring offense, total offense and passing efficiency.

Purdue has a difficult schedule. The Boilermakers have played two East Division teams, Penn State and Maryland. They play Indiana in the final game. Other Big Ten West teams have difficult games against the East. Michigan State could play a spoiler role.

Mickey Joseph is on a two-game winning streak. Jim Leonhard watched Wisconsin's offense score 42 points on six touchdown passes against Northwestern.

Maryland is convinced Cam Allen jumped offsides on a PAT attempt late in Saturday's game against Purdue. Brohm says no. Allen blocked the extra point, keeping the margin at six points and impacting strategy by both teams in the final 7:47. The play put the Boilermakers in an advantage and they took a 24-23 lead and built the gap to 31-24.

Blake Corum has 11 rushing touchdowns for Michigan. Iowa has nine total touchdowns through six games.

Ohio State is 6-0 and 3-1. The Buckeyes play Iowa on October 22 at noon.

Michigan is 6-0 and 3-1 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines play Penn State on Saturday at noon (Fox).

Penn State is 6-0 and 3-1. They play at Michigan on Saturday.

Purdue is 2-0 in October. The Boilermakers play Nebraska on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (BTN).

Illinois is 5-1 and 2-0. They play Minnesota on Saturday at noon (BTN).

Leonhard is expected to sign a six-year contract to take over the Badgers on a permanent basis. Wisconsin plays Michigan State on Saturday at 4 p.m. (Fox).

Minnesota's Mohamed Ibrahim returns this week after missing the Oct. 1 loss to Purdue. The Gophers play Illinois at noon on Saturday.

Maryland lost to Purdue and is now 1-2 in the Big Ten. It plays at Indiana on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

Nebraska plays its third night game in a row at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Iowa's offense was ineffective against Illinois. The Hawkeyes are 3-3 and 1-2 in the Big Ten. They play at Ohio State on October 22 at noon.

Bryce Baringer is the MVP at Michigan State. He's the punter. Michigan's next game is at 4 p.m. against Wisconsin.

Rutgers doesn't have a quarterback. Rutgers is 3-3 and 0-2. They play Indiana on October 22 at noon (BTN).

Indiana fired its offensive line coach. The team is 3-3 and 1-2 in the Big Ten. They play Maryland on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

Northwestern is 1-5 and 1 of the Big Ten West's bottom three. The Wildcats play at Maryland on October 22 at 3:30 p.m. (BTN).