Big Ten Notebook: Nebraska fans need to be patient following big loss at Ohio State

Coach Brady Hoke said there are no plans to bench running back Fitz Toussaint following his disappointing performance at Purdue this past weekend. (US Presswire)

News and notes from around the Big Ten:

• Spartans leading receiver Dion Sims injured his ankle in State" data-canon="Michigan Wolverines" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0">'s comeback win over Indiana and is unlikely to play at home against Iowa this Saturday, Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press reported. As a huge target, Sims is quarterback Andrew Maxwell’s favorite receiver. The junior has 24 catches for 313 yards and two touchdowns on the season. 

• Ohio State suffered a major hit to its defense when linebacker Etienne Sabino broke his leg in Saturday night’s contest against Nebraska. The best case scenario is that Sabino, who had surgery on Sunday to insert a plate into his right leg, will miss three weeks, reported Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch. If he recovered according to that time frame, Sabino would be back for the Nov. 3 game at home against Illinois and in time for games against Wisconsin and Michigan. “It was an emotional moment,” coach Urban Meyer said. “The team is getting pretty close because of guys like him.”  

• History shows that Nebraska fans need to practice patience with their head coaches because even Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne went through difficult stretches throughout their coaching tenure, reported Steven Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star. Following Saturday’s 63-38 loss at Ohio State, Bo Pelini is now 43-18 as the Husker head coach but can still turn the season around with an appearance in the Big Ten championship game. 

• Despite a 4-1 record, Minnesota coach Jerry Kill won’t let any hype interfere with game preparations, especially coming off of a humbling 31-13 loss at Iowa City two weekends ago. “I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t control time,” he said to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. “I just keep grinding, keep working, and let the chips fall where they may.” Minnesota hasn't won more than three Big Ten games since 2005 and this year’s depleted conference gives the Gophers a better opportunity than they’ve had in years to impact the league race. 

• After Michigan running back Fitzgerald Toussaint’s 17-carry, 19-yard performance in the Wolverines’ win over Purdue last Saturday, there was a question whether Brady Hoke would make a change in his backfield, but Hoke remained steadfast in his commitment to Toussaint. Hoke believed that the Boilermakers consciously game-planned for Toussaint --who burned them for 170 yards last season -- and instead let Denard Robinson handle the majority of the carries. “Something’s gotta give,” Hoke said to Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press. “and what gave was Denard, 235 [yards].”