NIU linebacker's dirty play at SDSU makes a good team look second-rate

NIU linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis made his team look bad with a dirty play at San Diego State. (Matthew Apgar/Daily Chronicle via AP)

I just want to say this about:

Northern Illinois: The Huskies outplayed No. 19 San Diego State in a 34-28 road loss late Saturday, but it hardly matters. NIU is good, maybe the best team in the state. (The Aztecs probably are overrated, too.) Still, it doesn’t matter.

Because the rest of the country will remember this game for one thing only: Huskies linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis’ dirty poke (or was it more of a gouge?) to the eye of San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny. It was — no pun intended — a terrible look. It made NIU coach Rod Carey’s program look second-rate and leaves an indelible stain on what might be a very good season.

On Sunday, NIU suspended Jones-Davis for one game.

The SEC: Tennessee coach Butch Jones is spiraling out of a 41-0 home loss to Georgia and just waiting to be fired. LSU coach Ed Orgeron is up against it severely after his team lost at home to Troy. And Ole Miss is a shell of its former self after a 63-point defeat at Alabama. That’s three programs that have gone from ballyhooed to humiliated in no time flat. I’m done calling this conference the best in the land.

Joe Tiller: The former Purdue coach died Saturday at 74. Tiller was the winningest coach in Boilermakers history. More than that, he was a force of personality. Few Big Ten coaches have been so enjoyed by the media. Tiller was a cool dude — and not just because he was as drily funny as any comic out there. He also went from defensive coordinator in his first stint in West Lafayette to offensive revolutionary as a head coach. A fascinating football mind.

Question of the week

Who’s No. 1, Alabama or Clemson?

It’s what everyone’s talking about, even though it’s too early to matter in a decisive way. I come down on the side of the defending national champion Tigers. Their defensive front is NFL-like. They match ‘‘freaks’’ with the Crimson Tide up and down the board. Where I break the tie is with the quarterbacks. Clemson’s Kelly Bryant is — as predecessor Deshaun Watson was — a better overall player than Alabama’s Jalen Hurts.

Say what?

‘‘Hey @LSU, thanks for having us down for homecoming! We really enjoyed it!’’

That was Troy University’s Twitter account after the shocking victory at LSU. By the way, LSU’s guests made $985,000. But good luck, after such a massive troll job, of getting another sports contract done with LSU.

Big Ten power rankings

1. Penn State (5-0, 2-0): Saquon Barkley ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown in a blowout Saturday of Indiana. He also threw a touchdown pass. Did we mention he’s the best running back in America? H-E-I-S-M-A-N.

2. Wisconsin (4-0, 1-0): Wish I could understand why Alex Hornibook was able to complete 18 of 19 passes at BYU, then followed that with major accuracy issues Saturday against Northwestern. Is he a strength or a weak link for the Badgers?

3. Ohio State (4-1, 2-0): Beating Rutgers 56-0 sort of means something, doesn’t it? The Buckeyes have all the talent, but they’ve still have yet to truly distinguish themselves.

4. Michigan (4-0, 1-0): Chances are, a bye week won’t clear up all the Wolverines’ offensive issues. It’s going to take points to outlast Penn State and Ohio State in the East.

5. Michigan State (3-1, 1-0): A hard-fought victory against a tough Iowa team was desperately needed for this at-a-crossroads program.

6. Iowa (3-2, 0-2): The best 0-2 team in the conference? It’s not even close. The Hawkeyes will be glad to see softball Illinois next.

7. Maryland (3-1, 1-0): It turns out the team that won at Texas but later was destroyed at home by UCF demands our admiration again. Winning at Minnesota without its top two quarterbacks showed great character.

8. Minnesota (3-1, 0-1): Welcome to the Big Ten, P.J. Fleck. There is no way the first-year Gophers coach thought he was going to lose to the Terps.

9. Purdue (2-2, 0-1): It’ll be telling how the Boilermakers play at home against Minnesota after a bye week. They’re still up against it talent-wise, but new coach Jeff Brohm appears to be every bit the change agent Fleck is.

10. Indiana (2-2, 0-2): The best 0-2 team in the conference? Maybe Iowa isn’t that much better than the Hoosiers after all. It’s hard to judge them after games against Ohio State and Penn State.

11. Nebraska (3-2, 2-0): How best to stave off a disastrous start to the season? By opening conference play against Rutgers and Illinois. Next up are Wisconsin and Ohio State.

12. Northwestern (2-2, 0-1): The Wildcats showed heart in a very good fourth quarter at Wisconsin, but this team can’t block anybody. It’ll be a huge problem all season.

13. Illinois (2-2, 0-1): The Illini responded to a bye week with a caveman offense against Nebraska. But that’s probably an insult to cavemen.

14. Rutgers (1-4, 0-2): What is there to say about the Scarlet Knights? They’re really bad.

Follow me on Twitter @SLGreenberg.

Email: sgreenberg@suntimes.com

NIU linebacker’s dirty play at SDSU makes a good team look second-rate