Griese Starts Poorly but Is Able to Finish Off Iowa, 28-24

Brian Griese, overcoming his worst start of the season, passed for three touchdowns and ran for one as undefeated Michigan notched a 28-24 comeback victory over Iowa Saturday at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Griese, whose three first-half interceptions put Michigan in a big hole, passed to Jerame Tuman for the game-winning score from two yards out with 2:55 remaining.

“The first half was obviously my worst half of football since I’ve been here,” Griese said. “But I never lost confidence in what I was doing. I’m not the kind of person to dwell on the negative things.”

The Michigan defense also played a big role, holding Tavian Banks, the nation’s leading rusher with 183.8 yards a game, to 99 yards in 19 carries. And 53 of those came on a second-quarter touchdown run.

Without the running of Banks, the Hawkeyes’ passing game also suffered. Matt Sherman completed eight of 21 passes for 86 yards, 61 during Iowa’s last-ditch drive, and had three intercepted.

The final interception, by linebacker Sam Sword, sealed the victory with 31 seconds remaining.

The Wolverines, 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, have yielded only three field goals--including one to the Hawkeyes (4-2, 1-2)--in the second half.

The Wolverines held Iowa to 187 yards in the game. Michigan had a 21-7 edge in first downs.

“They were so fast out there, Matt didn’t have time to do anything,” said flanker Tim Dwight, who scored one touchdown and set up a field goal with long return runs. “All of us thought we were going to win the game on that last drive. But, unfortunately, it just didn’t happen.”

The Wolverines opened the second half with a 67-yard, eight-play drive ending with Griese’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shaw.

Later in the third quarter, freshman Anthony Thomas broke a 58-yard run to the Iowa four, setting up Griese’s one-yard sneak for a 21-21 tie.

Dwight returned the ensuing kickoff to the Michigan 26, setting up Bromert’s field goal and a 24-21 Iowa lead.

Jared DeVries led the Iowa defense with three sacks in the second half and was a presence on almost every play, forcing Griese to hurry his passes and drawing holding penalties in the process.

NORTHWESTERN 19, NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 17

Adrian Autry ran through the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing defense for 175 yards and Northwestern blocked a 28-yard field-goal attempt with five seconds left at Evanston, Ind., as the Wildcats dealt Michigan State its first loss.

Northwestern (3-5, 1-3) ended a four-game losing streak.

Michigan State (5-1, 2-1) had feasted on mediocre opponents, outscoring them, 185-54.

The Spartans entered the game allowing an average of only 64 rushing yards but the Wildcats, ranked 10th in the conference in rushing, almost doubled their average with 208 behind Autry’s career-high performance.

Still, the game came down to the last play, when a leaping Gerald Conoway blocked Chris Gardner’s kick. The Spartans had almost effortlessly moved the ball from their 24 to Northwestern’s nine, but Coach Nick Saban decided to go for the field goal by Gardner--who had missed only once in 26 attempts from 29 yards or closer.

PURDUE 45, NO. 24 WISCONSIN 20

Joe Tiller’s new offense has Purdue on track for its best season since the mid-1980s.

Ed Watson ran for three touchdowns and Billy Dicken threw for three as Purdue defeated Wisconsin at West Lafayette, Ind., to extend its longest winning streak since 1980 to five games.

Purdue (5-1, 3-0) is tied for first place in the conference after being picked to finish at or near the bottom of the standings.

The Boilermakers took control early while accumulating 353 yards in the first half. Dicken, who threw five touchdown passes last week to tie a school record, completed two scoring strikes in the first half as the Boilermakers built a 28-3 advantage.

Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1) was seeking to win a seventh consecutive game for the first time since 1912.

NO. 11 OHIO STATE 31, INDIANA 0

Ohio State had little difficulty in handling Indiana at Columbus, Ohio, as Michael Wiley ran for one touchdown and threw for one and Clinton Wayne returned an interception 38 yards for a score.

Ohio State (6-1, 2-1), which piled up 432 yards, held Indiana (1-6, 0-4) to 179 yards, including 35 yards in 32 rushes.

Ohio State Coach John Cooper is now 82-30-4 in his 10th season and is second in career victories at the school. He passed Earle Bruce (81-26-1 in nine seasons), but is well behind Woody Hayes (205-61-10 from 1951-78).