News and notes from around the Big Ten.

By Jordan Hansen
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Days after a season-opening loss to Utah, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh reaffirmed his support for quarterback Jake Rudock.

Rudock struggled at times during his first game as a Wolverine, throwing 3 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. He did total 279 yards, but Michigan never looked in rhythm throughout the game, leaving some to wonder if backup quarterback Shane Morris should start.

“We all trust Jake,” Harbaugh said during Tuesday’s Big Ten teleconference. “We expect that to build and [get] better each week. He’s earned that from the coaches and his teammates.”

Harbaugh seems to be sticking with his guns on the choice for quarterback, for better or for worse.

Rudock, it seems, has the confidence of the coaching staff and will not be fighting off Morris quite yet. The Iowa transfer was listed as the lone No. 1 starter on the week’s depth chart.

Between that and Harbaugh’s words, it’s hard to imagine much in the way of changes for the Wolverines’ game against Oregon State this weekend, at least at quarterback. By all accounts, Morris is simply not up to the task of starting, which paints a rather bleak picture of where the Wolverine program resides.

Rutgers’ head coach Flood under pressure

With Rutgers head football coach Kyle Flood already under pressure for allegedly sending an email to a faculty member regarding to the academic status of a player, having five football players being arrested and then dismissed from the program did not help his image.

However, when Flood was asked if feels uncertainty about his job security, he was quick to answer.

“I do not,” he said. “I’ve gotten a tremendous amount of support from former players, high-school coaches, colleagues, people I haven known here at the university for 10 years.”

Regardless of his feelings, the accusations against him are serious enough to consider firing him. The academic investigation is ongoing, but the crimes his former players allegedly committed were very serious.

Ten suspects were arrested in connection with a long string of crimes that included an assault and home-invasion robberies.

Flood went on to say that he didn’t feel these issues were distracting the team.

“I said last week that I’ve been a part of teams where they’ve had these kinds of distractions, and it either ultimately distracts the team or galvanizes the team,” Flood said. “I really felt like it has galvanized our football team.”

Nebraska not worried about QB

Nebraska head coach Mike Riley was happy with how quarterback Tommy Armstrong played in a loss to BYU. Armstrong completed 24-of-41 passes for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He also threw 1 interception and didn’t do a whole lot on the ground, totaling 2 yards on nine attempts.

“I think he did a nice job,” Riley said. “I really liked how he competed, how he listened. Tommy’s best with the lights on.”

A few warning bells rang out in Lincoln when Armstrong was seen in a walking boot.

“Evidently, he’s doing a lot better,” Riley said. “That boot was mostly a temporary situation to keep it immobilized for a bit. The trainer said he was doing much better today.”

Follow @JordyHansen for news, updates, and analysis of Iowa and Big Ten football.