Michigan State got some late-game heroics – along with a little help from the home-field timekeeper – as it knocked off rival Michigan, 26-24, in East Lansing, Mich., on Saturday.
With just seconds remaining, Spartans quarterback Jeff Smoker was tackled at the Wolverines’ 2-yard line. He then rushed his team into formation and spiked the ball with one second left – although Michigan coach Lloyd Carr hinted that he felt time had expired. On the final play of the game, Smoker scrambled right, then threw left to tailback T.J. Duckett for the game-winning touchdown.
Duckett picked apart Michigan’s rush defense, which entered the game as the best in the nation. He finished with 211 yards on the ground and 19 receiving. The Spartans got a good effort from go-to wideout Charles Rogers, who caught six passes for 86 yards. Smoker was 15 of 35 for 183 yards.
The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings in this rivalry.
Illinois 38, Purdue 13: Illinois quarterback Kurt Kittner was on the way to his worst performance of the season. He had just 11 yards passing and threw three interceptions in the first quarter, which ended with his team trailing 13-0.
The rest of the game was a different story.
Kittner ended the game 15-for-34 for 299 yards with two touchdowns, and the Fighting Illini defense shut down Purdue en route to a blowout victory in West Lafayette, Ind.
With a Michigan loss, the Illinois win puts it in a tie for first place in the Big Ten.
Purdue quarterback Brandon Hance was held to 15 of 29 for 132 yards. He was pulled after throwing his second interception. The Boilermakers forced five turnovers, but converted only six points off of them.
Wisconsin 34, Iowa 28: Wisconsin kept its hopes alive of going to a sixth straight bowl game by knocking off the Hawkeyes at home on Saturday.
The Badgers were led by Lee Evans, one of the nation’s top wideouts, who caught seven passes for 175 yards. Wisconsin tailback Anthony Davis also had a strong showing, rushing 36 times for 132 yards.
Brooks Bollinger returned from hip and groin injuries to complete 14 of 21 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.
Ohio State 31, Minnesota 28: After dropping leads in consecutive weeks, Ohio State climbed back into the conference race by eking out a win at Minnesota.
Buckeyes quarterback Steve Bellisari, who entered the game as one of the Big Ten’s worst passers, had his best showing of the season. Bellisari went 17 of 22 for 203 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Ohio State running back Jonathan Wells ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns – the second of which gave the Buckeyes a 21-20 lead with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter.
Penn State 38, Southern Mississippi 20: The revamped Penn State offense showed it was for real, scoring three touchdowns over a 2:18 span as the Nittany Lions kept their winning streak going with a victory at home over Southern Mississippi.
The three touchdowns were scored by Bryant Johnson, Tony Johnson and Tony’s older brother, Larry Johnson.
Penn State freshman quarterback Zack Mills had another record day. Mills tied the passing record he set last week, completing 23 of 33 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a third. Mills is now 98-for-174 for 1,260 yards on the season, which is also a Penn State record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
