For the second consecutive week, the sold-out crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium stood silently late in the game, waiting for word from the officials.
For the second consecutive week, those officials had bad news for the Purdue fans, as the Boilermakers fumbled away another chance for a critical Big Ten victory.
Michigan, ranked 13th, beat No. 12 Purdue, 16-14, sealing the victory Saturday when Boilermakers receiver Dorien Bryant fumbled with 2 minutes 3 seconds remaining and his team driving for chance at the winning score.
Bryant had dashed to the Purdue 41-yard line after catching a 25-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Orton. But Michigan cornerback Markus Curry hit Bryant low, setting up a crushing high hit by safety Ernest Shazor that jarred the ball loose. Cornerback Leon Hall pounced on the ball just before it went out of bounds, in front of a jubilant Michigan sideline.
Last week, in a 20-17 loss to Wisconsin, Orton fumbled late in the game, and the Badgers returned the loose ball for the winning touchdown.
The script varied slightly Saturday, but for Purdue (5-2, 2-2), the results were painfully similar. Michigan (7-1, 5-0) took the lead on a 35-yard field goal by Garrett Rivas with 2:45 remaining, capping a solid drive led by the freshman quarterback Chad Henne.
But Michigan's true star of the day was another freshman, Michael Hart, who carried 33 times for 206 yards.
In a year when the freshman Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma has emerged as the best running back in the country, Hart may be the second best. Both are true freshman. None of Hart's 33 carries were for negative yardage, and he used a rugged, sturdy style that Purdue could not stop.
While Hart used the game as a platform to shine, Orton never looked comfortable.
His passes lacked zip. One fluttered into an interception. Orton moved gingerly after getting a hip pointer in the first quarter.
He did not complete a pass to his favorite target, Taylor Stubblefield, until just over two minutes remained in the game.
Stubblefield, the NCAA's leader in touchdown receptions, came in with a streak of 41 consecutive games with a catch. But Michigan cornerback Marlin Jackson shadowed Stubblefield most of the day, making him virtually disappear.
Orton finished the day completing 14 of 30 passes for 213 yards; he was sacked three times. Though hobbled, he nearly led his team to victory thanks to smart play.
Orton gave Purdue a 14-10 lead late in the third quarter when he noticed that Michigan lined up linebacker Scott McClintock on tailback Brandon Jones. Split wide to the left in a five-receiver set, Jones sped past McClintock, and Orton lobbed him a pass that resulted in a 63-yard touchdown.
With that strike, Orton appeared to have rescued Purdue's sputtering offense.
But in the end, Michigan overcame its offensive problems and took the lead. The Wolverines had 10 more first downs than Purdue and outgained the Boilermakers, 381 yards to 236.
Henne was 22 of 39 for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
But Michigan missed a field goal and had a fourth-quarter field-goal attempt blocked by Purdue's Bobby Iwuchukwu, his seventh career blocked kick.
The Big Ten is experimenting with the instant replay this season, and it was fitting that the game's defining play was reviewed.
The officials figured prominently in the first half as well, which Michigan led by 10-7, overturning two key plays.
RSS