An afterthought before the season, Penn State won its first Big Ten title in 11 years and earned its first-ever BCS bid with a 31-22 win against reeling Michigan State.
The Nittany Lions (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) were led by quarterback Michael Robinson, who rushed and passed for a touchdown, and defensive back Donnie Johnson who made two key plays in the second quarter.
Johnson blocked a punt, which was recovered in the end zone by teammate Matt Hahn, and later intercepted Spartans quarterback Drew Stanton in the end zone in the waning seconds of the second quarter to preserve Penn State’s 17-0 halftime lead.
Michigan State (5-6, 2-6) closed the score to 24-14 and drove to the Penn State 11-yard line in the fourth quarter, but after a sack and a botched field goal, the Spartans came away with nothing. Penn State took the ensuing drive down the field to seal the win with Tony Hunt’s one-yard touchdown run.
Penn State shares the title with Ohio State but will get the conference’s automatic BCS bid by virtue of its 17-10 defeat of the Buckeyes on Oct. 8.
No. 9 Ohio State 25, No. 17 Michigan 21
Troy Smith threw for 300 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another, but it almost wasn’t enough. With the Buckeyes down 21-12 to Michigan, Smith relied on his quick feet and stunned the Big House by leading two late drives that carried Ohio State to a 25-21 victory and a share of the Big Ten title.
“There will be a lot of No. 10 jerseys and a lot of kids on Thanksgiving weekend trying to make those moves in a pile of leaves,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
Michigan (7-4, 5-3) played virtually perfect football for three quarters while Ohio State (9-2, 7-1) was marred by two turnovers, a shanked punt, a missed extra point, a missed field goal and two pass interference penalties in the end zone.
Still, the Buckeyes managed to overcome their mistakes as they won their sixth straight and likely picked up a BCS bowl at-large bid.
“I think we just wanted it more than those guys,” Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes said.
Holmes’ 26-yard touchdown reception pulled the Buckeyes within two before Antonio Pittman scored the go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds left.
The loss is Michigan’s fourth in its last five meetings with Ohio State.
“There is nothing that can make you feel better after losing this game,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
Iowa 52, Minnesota 28
Apparently the Gophers don’t like pig.
With the Floyd of Rosedale on the line, Iowa crushed Minnesota on Saturday, jumping out to a 35-0 lead late in the second quarter. The Hawkeyes finished the season on a high note after expecting to be among the conference’s elite.
“We expected to start the season off with this type of play,” Iowa running back Albert Young said. “It didn’t go that way. That’s football. A lot of things don’t always fall the way you planned.
“But as long as you finish strong, and that’s what we did, that’s all that matters.”
Iowa (7-4, 5-3) accomplished what some considered impossible, holding down a dominant Minnnesota rushing attack to a mere 130 yards.
Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney’s early depature in the first quarter because of an ankle injury aided the Hawkeyes’ effort.
“He had it in his mind he could go. But when it came time to go, he couldn’t,” Minnesota coach Glen Mason said. “So the next question is, ‘Does that hurt you?’ Sure it does, because he’s a great football player.”
Iowa’s defense set the tone early, dropping Minnesota (7-4, 4-4) for a loss on three of its first six running plays. On offense the Hawkeyes racked up a season-high 613 yards.
Quarterback Drew Tate led the Iowa attack with 351 yards and four touchdowns, along with wide receiver Ed Hinkel, who became the first wide receiver ever to catch four touchdown passes in a single game at Kinnick Stadium.
Purdue 41, Indiana 14
Once again the Boilermakers will keep the Old Oaken Bucket. Indiana provided a scare, taking a 7-0 lead after one quarter. But Purdue (5-6, 3-5) scored five times in the second quarter to put the game away with a 27-7 halftime advantage. The second half was just a formality.
It is the fourth straight win for Purdue against their instate rivals and the eighth in nine years under coach Joe Tiller.
Boilermakers running back Kory Sheets led the way with 135 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Dorien Bryant also had two scores.
Indiana quarterback Blake Powers rushed for both of the team’s touchdowns. But it was his arm that did Indiana (4-7, 1-7) in as Purdue picked Powers off three times, including two times in the second quarter that led to Purdue touchdowns.
The win closes the season for Purdue, which will miss the postseason for the first time in Tiller’s tenure.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach David Kalan at [email protected].
