Michigan State Wins on Last Play, 26-24

T.J. Duckett had a 230-yard game against No. 6 Michigan: The final two were all that mattered.

Jeff Smoker, scrambling and off-balance, lobbed a two-yard touchdown pass to Duckett on the last play of the game as Michigan State beat Michigan, 26-24, on Saturday at East Lansing, Mich., likely ending the Wolverines’ chances of playing in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.

Duckett, who ran for 211 yards and had 19 receiving yards, found an opening in a crowded end zone, just beyond a couple leaping Wolverines. And Smoker spotted him in the nick of time.

“I was jumping up and down in the end zone, waving my arms,” Duckett said. “It’s a big win for our program.”

After the catch, Duckett was swarmed in the end zone by his celebrating teammates in front of a cheering student section.

There were seven lead changes between the Spartans, 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten) and Wolverines (6-2, 4-1), and neither team led by more than seven points.

Michigan State, with one timeout left, started the winning drive at Michigan’s 43 with 2:09 left.

On a fourth and 16 from the 50, an incomplete pass turned into a first down for Michigan State when cornerback Jeremy LeSueur was called for a personal foul for making contact with receiver Charles Rogers’ facemask.

Later, Michigan was flagged for having too many players on the field, which gave the Spartans second and four at the 12.

LeSueur made a touchdown-saving breakup on the next play and Smoker threw an eight-yard pass to Duckett on fourth and four. Smoker spiked the ball with 17 seconds left, scrambled for two yards to Michigan’s one and spiked the ball again with a second left to set up the game-winning pass.

When Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr was asked about the officials’ ruling that a second should remain on the clock, he wouldn’t answer it directly.

“Our players deserve better,” Carr said. “I’m sure the Big Ten will do the right thing, but that won’t change the outcome.”

Marquise Walker caught nine passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns for Michigan, with all but 44 yards coming in the second quarter.

John Navarre was 14 for 27 for 195 yards and three touchdowns. He had two passes intercepted--on consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarters.

Smoker was 15 for 35 for 183 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rogers caught six passes for 86 yards and drew three pass-interference penalties and the personal foul on the game-winning drive.

No. 21 Illinois 38, No. 20 Purdue 13--Kurt Kittner overcame a slow start to throw for 299 yards, Brandon Lloyd caught six passes for 112 yards and Illinois returned two interceptions for touchdowns at West Lafayette, Ind.

The Illini (7-1, 4-1) handed the Boilermakers (5-2, 3-2) only their fourth loss at Ross-Ade Stadium since 1997 and first since losing to Wisconsin on Nov. 6, 1999.

Kittner, the Big Ten’s leader in passing and touchdown passes, finished 15 for 34 with four interceptions and two touchdowns.

Wisconsin 34, Iowa 28--Lee Evans caught seven passes for 175 yards for the Badgers at Madison, Wis., and moved within 72 yards of the Big Ten’s single-season receiving record of 1,435 set by Ohio State’s David Boston in 1998.

Anthony Davis rushed 36 times for 132 yards as Wisconsin (5-5, 3-3) kept its bowl hopes alive. The Badgers have to beat Michigan and Minnesota to earn a sixth consecutive bowl berth.

Iowa is 4-4, 2-4.

Penn State 38, Southern Mississippi 20--The resurgent Nittany Lions (3-4) won their third consecutive game as Zack Mills threw two touchdown passes and ran for another touchdown in a nonconference game at State College, Pa.

Joe Paterno extended his record for career wins by a major-college coach with No. 325--two more than Bear Bryant.

Penn State scored 21 points in a little more than two minutes bridging the end of the first half and the start of the second, including a touchdown off a deflected pass and another off a blocked punt.

Southern Mississippi is 4-3.

Ohio State 31, Minnesota 28--Jonathan Wells ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns for Ohio State (5-3, 3-2) at Minneapolis.

Chris Vance had a 36-yard touchdown pass from Steve Bellisari tipped into his hands by Minnesota’s Ukee Dozier, widening the Buckeyes’ lead to 28-20 early in the fourth quarter.

Tellis Redmon rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Gophers (3-5, 1-3).

Indiana 56, Northwestern 21--Antwaan Randle El threw for three touchdowns, and Jeremi Johnson and Levron Williams each scored three touchdowns to lead Indiana (2-5, 2-3) past Northwestern (4-4, 2-4) at Bloomington, Ind.