Oct. 23, 2004
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By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Freshman Michael Hart rushed for 206 yards and Garrett Rivas hit a 35-yard field goal with 2:45 to go to lift No. 13 Michigan to a 16-14 win over No. 12 Purdue on Saturday.
Hart broke Ricky Powers' record for rushing yards by a Michigan freshman and also caught a touchdown pass to help the Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) keep pace with No. 6 Wisconsin atop the conference.
The scene was all too familiar for Purdue (5-2, 2-2), which again had a costly fumble late to lose its second game in a row after starting the season with five straight wins for the first time since 1945.
After Rivas' field goal, Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton hit receiver Dorien Bryant on a crossing pattern that moved the Boilermakers into Michigan territory.
But Michigan defensive back Markus Curry sent Bryant flying with a low hit and Ernest Shazor hit him high, forcing a fumble that Leon Hall recovered to seal the win. The play was reviewed by replay officials and the play stood as called.
Last week against Wisconsin, Purdue led 17-13 in the fourth, but Orton fumbled on a sack and Scott Starks returned it 40 yards for the game-winning score.
Rivas was shaky all day, missing a 38-yarder in the third and also having a 32-yarder blocked by Bobby Iwuchukwu in the fourth. But he stepped in and calmly drilled the biggest kick of the day to give the Wolverines their sixth straight win, and fourth in a row over Purdue.
While Rivas was the hero, Hart was the workhorse. A week after going for 234 yards against Illinois, Hart used his speed and power to tear up Purdue's run defense.
Orton, meanwhile, continued to struggle against Michigan and can probably forget about winning the Heisman Trophy. The senior was 14-for-30 for 213 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Michigan's defensive backs, which have dominated the Purdue receivers in recent years, gave Orton little breathing room on Saturday, sacking him three times and holding Taylor Stubblefield, the Big Ten's career leading receiver, to just one catch for 10 yards.
But when they did give Purdue a crease, Orton made them pay.
Running back Brandon Jones blew past linebacker Scott McClintock to haul in a 63-yard TD pass to give Purdue a 14-10 lead early in the third.
But Michigan rode Hart right back into the game.
Hart had dazzling runs of 28 and 33 yards to set up a 25-yard field goal by Rivas to make the score 14-13.
He then rushed for 28 yards on Michigan's game-winning drive.
The Boilermakers looked to be rolling early when they took their opening possession 65 yards for a touchdown.
Surprisingly, Purdue relied mainly on the ground game during the drive, getting 32 yards and a touchdown from Jerod Void against a Michigan defense that came into the game leading the Big Ten and fourth nationally in run defense.
But Void took a pitch left and easily scored on a 1-yard run to put Purdue up 7-0.
From there on out, it was tough going for the Boilermakers. Void managed just 16 yards the rest of the game, and Purdue managed just 263 yards of offense.
Michigan's two big-play freshmen hooked up when Chad Henne hit Hart on a 25-yard screen pass for a touchdown that tied the game in the first quarter.
Rivas added a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter to give Michigan a 10-7 lead at halftime.