BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Michigan Denies Michigan State, 10-7

The Michigan defense twice held off fourth-quarter Michigan State scoring threats, and the fifth-ranked Wolverines beat the No. 21 Spartans, 10-7, Saturday at East Lansing, Mich.

Leroy Hoard scored on a one-yard run, and J.D. Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal, all in the first half, for Michigan. The Spartans scored on a four-yard pass from Dan Enos to Courtney Hawkins with 5:09 to play in the game.

Michigan is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan State is 2-3, 1-1.

The Wolverines are 8-2 against the Spartans during the 1980s and 54-23-5 overall in the rivalry which began in 1898.

The Spartans, trailing 10-0, drove 78 yards in 17 plays late in the third quarter and had fourth and goal at the Michigan one. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Blake Ezor, who carried 13 times for 39 yards during the drive, was stacked up for no gain by Tripp Welborne, and the Wolverines took over.

On their next possession, the Spartans drove to the Michigan 17 only to have John Langeloh kick wide left on a 34-yard field goal attempt with 10:45 remaining.

But Harlon Barnett blocked a Michigan punt and the Spartans then drove 52 yards in eight plays with Enos tossing a strike to Hawkins in front of Michigan’s Todd Plate for the touchdown.

The Spartans got the ball again with 2:36 remaining, but Lance Dottin intercepted an Enos pass at the Michigan 22 on the final play of the game.

Ohio State 35, Indiana 31--Scottie Graham scored two touchdowns and Greg Frey passed to Jim Palmer for two more as the Buckeyes survived an Indiana comeback and a bizarre finish to win a Big Ten game at Columbus, Ohio.

Indiana, trailing 35-14 at one point, stormed back as Anthony Thompson, who rushed for 177 yards in 34 carries, scored his third touchdown of the game on a six-yard run and ran for the two-point conversion to make it 35-29 with 3:24 to play.

The Hoosiers held Ohio State on the Buckeyes’ next possession, with Ohio State electing to take a safety with 1:38 left when quarterback Greg Frey ran backwards 28 yards on fourth and one. That made the score 35-31.

On the ensuing free kick, Jeff Bohlman punted the ball from the Ohio State 20 to the Indiana 30, with the Hoosiers’ Markell Granderson allowing the punt to bounce.

Before it went out of bounds, however, Ohio State’s Vincent Clark picked up the ball and stepped out of bounds to give Ohio State possession at the Indiana 16 with 1:33 left.

Ohio State gained nine yards on four runs and gave the ball back to the Hoosiers, but quarterback Dave Schnell’s pass near midfield was intercepted by the Buckeyes’ David Brown with seven seconds left to end the game.

Indiana had 444 total yards to 290 for Ohio State. Both teams are 3-2 and 1-1.

Minnesota 20, Northwestern 18--The winless Wildcats led with less than two minutes left, fell behind, and then still had one more chance before losing to the Gophers in a Big Ten game at Evanston, Ill.

Northwestern quarterback Tim O’Brien rolled out for a two-yard touchdown and passed to Bob Christian for the two-point conversion to give the Wildcats an 18-17 lead.

Then Brent Berglund kicked a 43-yard field goal will a little more than a minute left to give Minnesota the lead, 20-18.

The Wildcats then drove to the Minnesota 12-yard line, but Ira Adler’s 29-yard field-goal attempt with three seconds left went wide right.

Minnesota is 4-1 and 2-0. Northwestern fell to 0-5 and 0-2, its worst mid-season record since 1981.

Illinois 14, Purdue 2--Jeff George, who left Purdue and transferred to Illinois after his freshman year, completed 24 of 42 passes for 254 yards to lead the Illini at West Lafayette, Ind.

George, playing his second season with the Illini, moved past Dave Wilson into the No. 3 spot on the school’s all-time list with 3,168 yards.

Illinois is 4-1, 2-0; Purdue is 1-4, 0-2.

Iowa 31, Wisconsin 24--Nick Bell, a 225-pound junior, ran for 217 yards in 31 carries and scored three touchdowns, one of them with 2:07 remaining, to help the Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1) defeat the Badgers (0-4, 0-2) at Madison, Wis.