SATURDAY’S OTHER BIG TEN CONFERENCE GAMES

No. 14 Michigan 20, Northwestern 17

EVANSTON, ILL.

Karan Higdon ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns, Shea Patterson threw 196 yards and No. 14 Michigan overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Northwestern. Higdon gave the Wolverines the lead with a 5-yard run with 4:06 remaining. Patterson completed 15 of 24 passes to help Michigan win its fourth straight. Clayton Thorson completed 16 of 27 passes for 174 yards for Northwestern (1-3, 1-1) in the Wildcats’ third straight loss. John Moten IV had 36 yards on 13 rushes and a touchdown in his first start for Northwestern. He took over for Jeremy Larkin after Larkin retired this week because of a spinal condition.

No. 21 Michigan State 31, Central Michigan 20

EAST LANSING, MICH.

Brian Lewerke ran for two touchdowns in the first half, and No. 21 Michigan State overcame a slow start and an underwhelming finish to beat Central Michigan. Connor Heyward and La’Darius Jefferson also ran for touchdowns for the Spartans. Lewerke scored on runs of 3 and 5 yards, and Michigan State led 17-3 at halftime. CMU’s Tommy Lozzaro threw two interceptions in the first half. Heyward and Jefferson scored their TDs in the third. CMU scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick and then kicked a field goal to make it 31-13. Then the Chippewas scored on a trick play, with running back Jonathan Ward throwing a 29-yard scoring pass to Tony Poljan with 6:44 remaining. The Spartans were without Hubbard graduate LJ Scott for a second straight game. Lewerke went 16 of 25 for 185 yards.

Indiana 24, Rutgers 17

PISCATAWAY, N.J.

Peyton Ramsey ran for a touchdown and threw another and Indiana scored on its first four possessions in beating Rutgers. Ramsey scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 1-yard run and added a 2-yard TD pass to J-Shun Harris II in a 17-point second quarter that carried the Hoosiers over Rutgers. Freshman Art Sitkowski (18 of 35 for 154 yards) threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Shameen Jones on the opening possession of the game to give Rutgers a short-lived 7-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights threatened in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to a 24-17 on a 1-yard run by Jonathan Hilliman and a 52-yard field goal by Justin Davidovicz with 3:52 to play. But Ramsey, who was 27 of 40 for 288 yards, completed a 25-yard, fourth-down pass to Peyton Hendershot from the Hoosiers 34 to ice the game in the closing minutes. Ramsey also ran for 47 yards in leading scoring drives 75, 88, 68 and 54 yards.

Purdue 42, Nebraska 28

LINCOLN, NEB.

David Blough threw for 328 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, D.J. Knox scored twice on short runs and Purdue beat Nebraska to send the Cornhuskers to their program-record eighth consecutive loss. The Huskers also set a program record with their seventh straight home loss. Nebraska has the second-longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Markell Jones gave Purdue (2-3, 1-1) a 42-21 lead with a 6-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Devine Ozigbo rushed for a career-high 170 yards for the Huskers, and he scored from 23 yards out to make it a 14-point game with 13:04 left. Adrian Martinez threw for 323 yards and ran for 91. Knox led Purdue with 87 yards rushing, Rondale Moore caught eight passes for 85 yards and Brycen Hopkins had five receptions for 103.

Associated Press