BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Michigan’s Howard Makes Catches Count

Desmond Howard caught three touchdown passes and set up Michigan’s final score with a 71-yard kickoff return as the fourth-ranked Wolverines defeated Indiana, 24-16, Saturday in a Big Ten game at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan, 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, struggled to contain the passing of Trent Green, who completed 22 of 36 passes for 236 yards for Indiana (3-2-1, 2-1).

Howard caught only five passes for 32 yards.

“That’s kind of an easy life, to catch five passes and have three of them go for touchdowns,” said Michigan Coach Gary Moeller.

But Howard also returned three kickoffs for 109 yards, giving him 141 all-purpose yards.

With scoring receptions of four, six and four yards, Howard has 15 touchdowns for the season, 13 on passes, leaving him one shy of Anthony Carter’s Big Ten season record.

“Desmond makes great plays,” said Michigan quarterback Elvis Grbac, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 111 yards. “He has great moves and when you have that much talent, you have to get him the ball a lot.”

Scott Bonnell kicked field goals of 42, 32 and 27 yards and Green scored on a one-yard run for Indiana.

“We thought we had a great chance, coming in here,” Green said. “But we wound up kicking too many field goals. All year long we’ve had a problem with third- and fourth-and-short yardage. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be productive when we get down in there.”

The passing of Green and the running of Vaughn Dunbar, who had 116 yards in 34 carries, helped the Hoosiers drive to the Michigan one late in the game. On third and goal, Green lost a yard on an option play and on the next play, Indiana fullback Cory Taylor was stopped for a yard loss by Michigan’s Erick Anderson, Lance Dottin and Dean Johnson.

Green wanted to run the option play again, but was voted down by the coaches.

“That was my call,” Indiana Coach Bill Mallory said. “I take responsibility. I thought we could get Cory up the gut, because they were to quick to the outside with the option game. Unfortunately, Anderson stuffed us.”

Moeller called it the biggest play of the season for Michigan. “And hopefully this is the kind of play that can bring a team together for the rest of the year,” he said.

The Hoosiers got the ball back once more, but couldn’t pick up a first down in four snaps. Michigan then ran out the clock.

“This is the best Indiana team I’ve seen,” Moeller said. “They’re better than the 1987 team that beat us in Bloomington. This is a for-real team and the key is how much they keep improving.”

No. 15 Iowa 24, No. 13 Illinois 21--Matt Rodgers scored on a quarterback sneak with 2 1/2 minutes left to give the Hawkeyes a victory at Iowa City and knock the Illini out of first place in the Big Ten.

The Hawkeyes had failed on five previous possessions in Illinois territory in the second half, but were able to stay in the game because an aroused defense blanked the Illini after giving up 250 yards and 21 points in the first half.

Iowa (5-1, 2-1) trailed 21-10 in the second quarter and 21-17 at halftime as Kameno Bell scored twice for the Illini.

But Illinois (4-2, 2-1) faltered in the second half as Jason Verduzco, who completed his first 12 passes and was 13 of 16 for 163 yards and a touchdown in the first half, was only seven of 11 for 77 yards in the second half and was sacked four times.

Illinois’ deepest penetration in the second half was to the Iowa 43.

Iowa began its winning drive on its 31 with 9:05 left. Rodgers’ 23-yard pass to Danan Hughes on third and eight from the Iowa 43 kept the Hawkeyes moving, and Rodgers ran 11 yards on a draw play on third-and-five at the Illinois 30.

Another Rodgers keeper, this time for five yards, gave Iowa a first down at the seven and Rodgers, who completed 24 of 32 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, took it in three plays later with 2:39 remaining.

Ohio State 34, Northwestern 3--Scottie Graham rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns, two of them after botched punts in the first half, as the Buckeyes (5-1, 2-1) easily won at Cleveland.

Northwestern (1-5, 0-3), the home team for the game, agreed to play it in Cleveland in return for an estimated $1 million share of the gate.

The crowd of 73,830 was more than twice as large as Northwestern expected to draw in Evanston, Ill. Ohio State was playing at Cleveland Stadium for the first time since 1944.

The victory for Ohio State was its 16th in a row over Northwestern.

Ohio State’s final touchdown came on a six-yard run by Carlos Snow, with Graham throwing a key block.

“The most exciting thing that happened for me today was blocking for Carlos on his touchdown run,” Graham said. “We’re pretty close friends, and it sure felt like old times again. I wish people would count the blocks I give, because those are just as important to the team as the touchdowns.”

Michigan State 20, Minnesota 12--Tailback Tico Duckett scored on runs of 88 and eight yards and rolled up 241 yards in 30 carries as the Spartans (1-5, 1-2) beat the Gophers (2-4, 1-2) at East Lansing, Mich.

The Golden Gophers trailed only 13-12 early in the fourth quarter when safety Sean Lumpkin outmuscled Spartan tight end Mitch Lyons for a Jim Miller pass on the Michigan State 29.

The Gophers moved to the Michigan State 15 in four plays, then Marquel Fleetwood tossed a short pass to fullback Chuck Rios. Linebacker Chuck Bullough, the Big Ten’s leading tackler going into the game, stripped the ball from Rios and it bounced to Damian Manson, who recovered for the Spartans on their own five.

Two plays later, Duckett broke through a hole off the right tackle, turned upfield and went in untouched for his 88-yard score.

Purdue 28, Wisconsin 7--Corey Rogers scored two touchdowns and Jimmy Young returned his fifth interception of the season 29 yards for another score as the Boilermakers (3-3, 2-1) beat the Badgers (3-3, 0-3) at West Lafayette, Ind.

Wisconsin had only two first downs in the first half and converted only four of 15 third-down situations in the game.