Rise in quarterback injuries leading to drop in point totals for Big Ten games this season

The addition of four former Pac-12 teams was supposed to bring some offensive firepower to the Big Ten and change its reputation.It hasn’t quite worked out that way.Scoring in the Big Ten did rise in 2024, the first year after Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington joined a league known more for defense. Point totals went up again last year. But they’re dropping this year as three Big Ten teams already have fired their offensive coordinators.Nebraska dismissed Dana Holgorsen and Michigan fired Jason Beck over the weekend, two weeks after No. 18 Oregon dumped Drew Mehringer.“I felt like as I watched us play, it just isn’t working the way we want it to work,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said Monday. “For me, you think about what it takes to win in college football, you need to have an explosive offense. You need to have the ability to score points.”Not enough Big Ten teams have shown that ability this season.Sportradar says games featuring two Big Ten teams have averaged 47.3 tot