Big Ten Roundup : Michigan Hands Indiana First Loss, 31-6

Michigan fullback Leroy Hoard did nothing to help Indiana’s Rose Bowl hopes Saturday.

Hoard had a pair of 54-yard touchdown runs and another of 2 yards in leading Michigan to a 31-6 victory over Indiana in a Big Ten showdown with the previously unbeaten Hoosiers at Ann Arbor, Mich.

“The holes were amazing,” Hoard said. “As soon as I was in the open, I just ran as fast as I could. I’m not really that fast.”

The victory left the 20th-ranked Wolverines in first place in the Big Ten with a 3-0-1 record. Michigan is 4-2-1 overall. Indiana, ranked No. 14, fell to 3-1-0 in the Big Ten and 5-1-1 overall.

“We haven’t won it,” Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler said. “We’ve got 4 weeks to go. One loss and we’re out.”

It marks the second consecutive season that the Hoosiers have lost a showdown game. In 1987, the Hoosiers lost, 27-3, at Michigan State, and the Spartans went on to win the conference title.

“People might say we can’t play against better teams,” Hoosier linebacker Willie Bates said. “That’s a question that we will have to answer down the road. We have Iowa next week. Was this week a big game? I don’t know.

“Our program is on the rise. We still have 4 games yet to play, and we may still have a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.”

Hoard, a fullback who had only 173 yards in 45 carries this season, rushed for 128 yards in 7 carries against the Hoosiers, including a 54-yard touchdown run on the game’s fourth play from scrimmage.

“I saw the opening and there was the end zone,” Hoard said. “It doesn’t happen that much to a fullback. I’m ready to go back to ‘3 yards and a cloud of dust.’ ”

The Wolverines, who led, 7-6, at halftime, scored on their first 3 possessions of the 2nd half while limiting the Hoosiers to 3 snaps and a punt on each of their first 4 possessions of the 3rd quarter.

“We just got outplayed in the second half,” Indiana Coach Bill Mallory said. “They played better than we did. They controlled the line of scrimmage and that’s where they won the game.

“We couldn’t muster anything up or get on track. They executed and we didn’t.”

The Wolverines, during the pivotal third quarter, got a 25-yard field goal by Mike Gillette, scored on a 46-yard pass from split end Greg McMurtry to flanker Chris Calloway and a 2-yard run by Hoard to take a 24-6 lead.

“That reverse was a big play,” Mallory said. “That really hurt when we were trying to get back in it.”

It was the first college pass attempt by McMurtry.

“I didn’t throw it very well,” McMurtry said. “The rotation or whatever they call it on the ball was terrible. I kind of like catching it better.”

Calloway said, “It was like catching a punt.”

Indiana’s scoring came on field goals of 53 and 45 yards by Pete Stoyanovich.

Michigan State 28, Illinois 21-- Bobby McAllister threw 2 touchdown passes, and Blake Ezor ran for 2 more scores as the Spartans came from behind to beat the Illini at Champaign, Ill.

The Spartans (2-4-1, 2-1-1) scored 2 quick touchdowns in the 3rd quarter to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 21-14 lead. The loss, Illinois’ first Big Ten defeat this year, put the Illini at 3-1 in the conference and 4-3 overall.

Northwestern 35, Wisconsin 14--Senior Byron Sanders ran for 181 yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats beat the winless Badgers at Evanston, Ill.

The win raised the Wildcats record to 1-2-1 in the Big Ten and 1-5-1 overall.

Wisconsin fell to 0-4 in conference play, 0-7 overall.

Iowa 31, Purdue 7--Mike Saunders went 72 yards for a touchdown, and Tony Stewart raced 65 yards to set up another score as the Hawkeyes beat the Boilermakers at West Lafayette, Ind.

Iowa stopped Purdue scoring drives inside the Iowa 10 twice in the second half, bringing its record to 4-2-2 overall and 2-0-2 in conference play.

Purdue, held to 184 yards on offense, fell to 3-4 and 2-2.

Ohio State 13, Minnesota 6--Safety David Brown keyed a last-minute goal-line stand as the Buckeyes beat the Gophers at Minneapolis for their first conference victory of the season.

Carlos Snow scored on a 27-yard run, and Greg Frey passed for 199 yards to help set up 2 Pat O’Morrow field goals for Ohio State, 3-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Buckeyes haven’t lost 5 games in a season since 1966.

Minnesota, 2-4-1 and 0-3-1, is off to its worst start since 1983, when the Gophers finished 1-10.