BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Michigan Gets Back on Winning Track

Tyrone Wheatley ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns in his first start of the season and No. 7 Michigan rebounded from its loss to Colorado last week to defeat Iowa, 29-14, Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.

Michigan, 3-1 overall, also got three field goals from Remy Hamilton and a touchdown run from Wheatley’s backup, Tim Biakabutuka, in winning its 13th consecutive Big Ten opener.

Iowa (2-3, 0-2) led, 7-3, after quarterback Ryan Driscoll’s one-yard touchdown run with 12:23 left in the second quarter. But the Hawkeyes didn’t make another first down until the 2:23 mark in the third quarter. By then, Michigan was in control.

The Wolverines scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half to go ahead, 13-7, and led, 22-7, before Iowa finally regrouped on offense.

Iowa had a chance to make it a game after Driscoll hooked up on fourth down with Scott Slutzker on an 11-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead to 22-14 with 14:11 remaining. Michigan’s Seth Smith fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Iowa’s Pat Boone recovered at the Wolverines’ 29.

But two illegal procedure penalties stymied the Hawkeyes and Tony Henderson blocked Brion Hurley’s 40-yard field goal attempt. Michigan then drove 77 yards in 11 plays to the game-clinching touchdown, a 12-yard run by Wheatley.

Wheatley, looking more like the player he was before separating his right shoulder in preseason practice, carried eight times for 50 yards on the drive. The injury kept him out of the first two games this year, but he came back to rush for 50 yards in 17 carries a week ago against Colorado, which won, 27-26, on a 64-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play.

Purdue 22, Illinois 16--Corey Rogers ran for two touchdowns and the Boilermakers (3-1, 1-0) stopped Illinois tight end Ken Dilger on the one-yard line on the game’s final play as Purdue upset the 25th-ranked Illini in Champaign, Ill.

Illinois (2-2, 1-0) had an apparent touchdown pass from Johnny Johnson to Martin Jones called back by a holding penalty with 56 seconds left. But Johnson completed a 23-yard pass to Jasper Strong and carried for a first down to the Purdue 10 with 10 seconds left.

After downing the ball to stop the clock, Johnson flipped a short pass to Dilger, who turned, hesitated and tried to get in the end zone but was stopped short by cornerback John Jackson. Purdue players then swarmed the field in celebration.

Ohio State 17, Northwestern 15--Eddie George rushed for 206 yards in 39 carries as No. 20 Ohio State rallied and then held on for the victory in Evanston, Ill.

It was the Buckeyes’ 19th consecutive victory over the Wildcats (1-2-1, 0-1) and the fourth game in a row that George rushed for more than 100 yards.

But George’s fumble with 8:21 to play could have been costly for the Buckeyes (4-1, 1-0) had teammate Matt Finkes not made a saving tackle on Northwestern’s two-point conversion try with 5:01 left in the teams’ Big Ten opener.

Indiana 25, Minnesota 14--Indiana, struggling throughout on offense, turned turnovers into second-half touchdowns by Reggie Bryant and John Paci to win in Bloomington, Ind.

The Gophers, leading, 14-10, at halftime, turned the ball over on four of their first five possessions in the second half, including twice on interceptions by Bryant.

Indiana (4-1, 1-1) couldn’t score after the first interception, but Bryant returned his second theft 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter. After an exchange of punts, Minnesota (2-3, 0-2) reached the Indiana 18 before Eric Smedley recovered a fumble on an attempted lateral by quarterback Tim Schade.

The Hoosiers took over at their 45 and moved 55 yards in 12 plays, with Paci scoring the final touchdown from the one.

Indiana’s Alex Smith, the nation’s No. 2 rusher at 157.3 yards a game, was held to 22 yards in 16 carries.