From 13 pounds, eight ounces, to 223 pounds, Isiah John Williams has been through many trying experiences in his 21 years.

And from the time he was 18 seconds old, Williams has had the same nickname: Juice.

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When Rich Rodriguez accepted the head coaching position at Michigan last December, many predicted he would break all sorts of established traditions there. After all, his personality and his playbook differ greatly from those of predecessors like Lloyd Carr and Bo Schembechler.

Rodriguez has brought change to the Wolverines, but not every broken convention has been met with applause in Ann Arbor.

Michigan will miss a bowl game for the first time in 34 years, causing much consternation and hand-wringing among media members and fans. Continue reading »

James Laurinaitis is considered by many Big Ten quarterbacks to be the scariest player in the conference.

But he’s got nothing on his old man.

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Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster raves about his star wide receiver, Eric Decker.

He raves about how the junior runs “like a deer” and has “outstanding” hand-eye coordination and power.

Oh, and he appreciates Decker’s talents on the football field too.

Decker has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the nation and is one of the primary reasons the Gophers are 7-1 one year after finishing 1-11. With 66 catches for 833 yards and six touchdowns, Decker sits tied for third place in the Football Bowl Subdivision in receptions per game and seventh in receiving yards per game.
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Sissy ball. Basketball on grass. These are just two of the many names given to Purdue coach Joe Tiller’s spread offense since he introduced it to the Big Ten 11 years ago.

A single word best describes the man himself: Pioneer.

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No running back likes sharing carries. But that’s what Javon Ringer did a year ago.

As a junior at Michigan State, Ringer carried 245 times for 1,447 yards. Backfield mate Jehuu Caulcrick was the red zone specialist, carrying 222 times for 872 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Caulcrick graduated last season, paving the way for Ringer to be the Spartans’ workhorse in 2008. He made his intentions very clear at Big Ten Media Day in July.

“I want to carry the load every game,” he said. “I’m a running back. I run the ball.”

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Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has been around college football long enough to know how to handle adversity. But nothing could have prepared him for the storm his football program was forced to weather – both literally and figuratively – this past offseason.

Beset by disastrous flooding in Iowa and plagued by a series of legal entanglements off the field, the Hawkeyes struggled to hold their program together through a nightmarish summer. Iowa turned to its leader, Ferentz, who kept his players thinking positive through even the worst of times.

Now the Hawkeyes are 3-1 and a formidable Big Ten threat, a fact that has Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald marveling.

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