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Two Big Ten sighs of relief for Ohio State, Michigan

 
Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel, right, celebrates his 24-yard touchdown reception in front of Michigan State’s Demetrious Cox during the first quarter in East Lansing, Mich.
Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel, right, celebrates his 24-yard touchdown reception in front of Michigan State’s Demetrious Cox during the first quarter in East Lansing, Mich.
Published Nov. 20, 2016

One thing you can't call the Big Ten in recent weeks is boring.

A week after Ohio State and Michigan were both upset, both seemed headed for consecutive losses Saturday.

In East Lansing, host Michigan State gave Urban Meyer's team all it could handle.

Mike Weber ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Ohio State held on 17-16 after the upset-minded Spartans missed a two-point conversion with 4:41 remaining.

"Tough day at the office right there," Meyer said. "We'll take the win against a team that we know very well and on the road in November. We're 10-1 and getting ready for rivalry week."

Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) can now focus on Michigan, but only after withstanding a spirited challenge from a Michigan State team that derailed the Buckeyes' national title bids in two of the previous three seasons.

The Spartans (3-8, 1-7) were down 17-10 when LJ Scott scored on a 1-yard run with 4:41 to play. Michigan State went for the lead, but Tyler O'Connor's pass on the two-point conversion was intercepted in the end zone.

"All week long I'd said that, 'Hey, if we get close at the end of the game, we're going for two, and we're going to take an aggressive approach and play to win the football game rather than to tie,' " Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. "They had us covered up on that particular play, so good job by them."

In Ann Arbor, the Wolverines found out the hard way just how valuable quarterback Wilton Speight is.

De'Veon Smith ran for two touchdowns in a 3:33 span late in the third quarter, finishing with a career-high 158 yards rushing, to help No. 4 Michigan shake off Indiana 20-10.

John O'Korn made his first start for Michigan (10-1, 7-1, No. 3 CFP) and struggled to lead an offense that was averaging 45 points and 232 yards passing. O'Korn was 7-of-16 for just 59 yards.

"I'm not real pleased with the way I threw the ball, but that's part of the battling the elements," O'Korn said on a blustery day that left the field covered in snow in the fourth quarter.

His best play was a 30-yard run, escaping a collapsed pocket on third down to set up Smith's shifty, 34-yard run that put the Wolverines up 13-10 with 4:02 left in the third. Smith's 39-yard run later in the quarter put them ahead 20-10.

"That was huge," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. "We were struggling, making third-down conversions. And there was not just one, but two defenders pressuring John."

For two-plus quarters, it looked like the Hoosiers (5-6, 3-5) might win one of the most significant games in school history. Indiana has beaten only one top-five team, No. 3 Purdue in 1967, the last year it won at Michigan Stadium. The Hoosiers haven't knocked off a top-10 team since beating No. 9 Ohio State in 1987.

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The Wolverines desperately need to get Speight healthy enough to play the second-ranked Buckeyes on the road this coming week. He beat out O'Korn for the job this season behind closed doors at practice. In public, it was easy to see why Harbaugh chose Speight. The Houston transfer missed open receivers when he had time and looked flustered when his offensive line didn't do its job in pass protection.