BIG TEN ROUNDUP : No. 4 Michigan Routs Northwestern, 40-7

It took only a few minutes for Michigan to all but assure itself a trip to the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Elvis Grbac threw three touchdown passes to Derrick Alexander and quick-striking Michigan clinched at least a share of a fifth consecutive Big Ten championship with a 40-7 victory over Northwestern on Saturday at Evanston, Ill.

Grbac, playing a little more than a half, completed seven of 14 passes for 205 yards and completed touchdown passes of 32, 57 and two yards to Alexander.

“Our fifth straight championship feels good, but we need one more to clinch it all,” said Alexander, who caught all three of his touchdown passes in the first half.

No. 4 Michigan, 8-0-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten, can clinch the title with a victory over Illinois next Saturday at Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wolverines, who have won 17 road conference games in a row, finish the season at Ohio State, which has two conference losses.

The Wolverines, who scored on their first three possessions, had to rally to defeat Purdue, 24-17, last week, and as a result dropped from third to fourth in the poll.

But against Northwestern, the Wolverines struck quickly.

Northwestern’s Dennis Lundy fumbled on the third play from scrimmage and Corwin Brown recovered. Three plays later, Grbac threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Alexander.

On Michigan’s next possession, Grbac passed to Amani Toomer for a 65-yard gain to set up a 14-yard touchdown run by Tyrone Wheatley, who had 143 yards in 23 carries.

Northwestern (2-7, 2-4) cut the lead to 14-7 when Lenny Williams teamed with Lee Gissendaner on a 42-yard touchdown, but Michigan came right back, Alexander scoring on a 57-yard pass play to make the score 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

An errant Northwestern snap out of the end zone on a punt attempt gave the Wolverines a safety, and Grbac threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Alexander after setting it up with a 35-yard completion to Walter Smith shortly before halftime for a 30-7 lead.

No. 22 Ohio State 17, Minnesota 0--Robert Smith rushed for 119 yards in 19 carries and scored both touchdowns for the Buckeyes (7-2, 4-2) before 91,764 at Columbus, Ohio.

Minnesota fell to 1-7, 1-5.

The game, in which both teams squandered scoring opportunities, was marred by a fight with 3:45 left. The altercation resulted in five penalty flags being thrown but no yards assessed and no ejections. Players had exchanged shoves or punches on at least two other occasions earlier.

“I was sorry about the fight that broke out,” Ohio State Coach John Cooper said. “I apologized to (Minnesota’s) Jim Wacker after the game. I don’t know what caused it. When it happens on your home field, I guess you’re responsible.”

Said Wacker: “Tempers and frustrations just spilled over. That’s the first time that’s happened this year.”

Ohio State tight end Cedric Saunders said he threw punches at Minnesota defensive lineman Dennis Cappella.

“Two plays before the fight started, he had hit (Ohio State quarterback Kirk) Herbstreit after the play and cut his lip,” Saunders said. “I was hitting him in the side of the helmet and he kept telling me it didn’t hurt.”

Minnesota drove into Ohio State territory on six of its first seven possessions but didn’t score.

The Buckeyes crossed midfield the first eight times they had the ball, but Tim Williams missed field-goal attempts of 50 and 21 yards. He made a 22-yarder in the second quarter.

Michigan State 26, Wisconsin 10--Craig Thomas ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns in 17 carries as the Spartans won at East Lansing, Mich.

Thomas scored on runs of 67 and 54 yards and Tico Duckett had a 24-yard touchdown run for the Spartans (4-5, 4-2).

Darrell Bevell completed 15 of 26 for 170 yards, including a four-yard touchdown pass to Jim Bourne for Wisconsin (4-5, 2-4).

Duckett finished with 108 yards in 21 carries, giving him 4,028 rushing yards for his career and making him the sixth back in Big Ten history to run for more than 4,000 yards.

Illinois 20, Purdue 17--J.J. Strong caught a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 to play to give the Illini (5-4, 3-3) at Champaign, Ill.

Strong was so wide open in the right corner of the end zone, all he had to do was catch the ball from Jason Verduzco and keep his feet in bounds. The winning drive covered 80 yards in 12 plays.

The play ruined a comeback by the Boilermakers (3-6, 2-4), who scored two touchdowns in the second half to go ahead, 17-13.

Iowa 14, Indiana 0--Carlos James prevented a touchdown with an interception in the end zone and later set up a Hawkeye touchdown with a 26-yard interception return at Bloomington, Ind.

Both Iowa touchdowns came after Indiana turnovers, one on a fumble in the first quarter and the other on James’ interception in the fourth quarter.

The Hawkeyes (4-6, 3-3) held the Hoosiers (5-4, 3-3) to 24 yards of offense in the first half.