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Michigan knocks off Spartans

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan had plenty of reasons to be motivated to beat Michigan State, barely defeating its in-state rival over the last decade and losing to every ranked team on the road for a dozen years.

The Wolverines, though, were even more fired up to win after a pregame spat with the Spartans.

Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes and No. 6 Michigan earned a desperately needed 21-7 win over No. 24 Michigan State on Saturday, snapping a streak of 17 consecutive losses to ranked teams on the road.

The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) had lost eight of 10 against coach Mark Dantonio’s Spartans and those setbacks have led to them not winning a Big Ten title since 2004.

The matchup is always highly charged, but it was kicked up a notch well before kickoff, and emotions didn’t subside even after a 75-minute weather delay during the first quarter.

Michigan State’s team walked from one end zone to the other with their arms locked and a few Wolverines were stretching out in the middle of the field when contact was made and words were exchanged .

“Total bush league,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Apparently coach Dantonio was 5 yards behind, smiling.”

Dantonio disagreed with Harbaugh’s assessment.

“That’s B.S.,” Dantonio said.

Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, one of the players involved in what Harbaugh called “shenanigans ,” later dragged and kicked his cleats to rip up some of the grass under the Spartans’ white logo at midfield.

“I just got caught up in the moment with my emotions,” Bush said.

No. 19 Iowa rolls

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Nate Stanley threw for 86 yards and a touchdown and 19th-ranked Iowa pummeled Maryland 23-0 for its third straight victory.

Anthony Nelson added a TD on a fumble recovery for the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten Conference), whose defense held the Terrapins to just 115 yards and seven first downs on a day when wind gusts topped 40 mph.

After settling for a pair of short field goals, Iowa went into halftime ahead 13-0 after Stanley found Brandon Smith for a 10-yard TD grab — which Smith made with one hand — with eight seconds left in the second quarter.

Nelson, a defensive end, made it 23-0 Hawkeyes late in the third quarter by falling on a botched handoff from backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome in the end zone.

Wisconsin rebounds

MADISON, Wis. — No. 23 Wisconsin bounced back from a devastating loss to maintain its hopes of a West Division title and a return to the Big Ten championship game

Jonathan Taylor rushed for 159 yards and Taiwan Deal ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Badgers took advantage of five first-half turnovers to rout Illinois 49-20.

Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) was coming off a 38-13 loss at Michigan that buried its national championship hopes. Next week the Badgers face a division matchup at Northwestern (4-3, 4-1), which rallied to edge Rutgers 18-15 on Saturday.

Wildcats survive

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Isaiah Bowser scored on a 5-yard run with 8:12 to play and Northwestern avoided a major letdown by converting two fourth-downs plays on the game-winning drive to defeat struggling Rutgers 18-15.

Bowser also scored on a 3-yard run and Drew Luckenbaugh kicked a 23-yard field goal as the Wildcats (4-3, 4-1 Big Ten) won their third straight game by rallying from an eight-point third-quarter deficit. Clayton Thorson hit Flynn Nagel on a 2-point conversion pass after Bowser’s go-ahead run.

Isaih Pacheco scored on a 44-yard run for Rutgers (1-7, 0-5), which lost its seventh straight game. Justin Davidovicz kicked field goals of 42 and 26 yards, while Willington Previlon had a sack for a safety.

Huskers win first

LINCOLN, Neb. — A bucket of sports drink having been just poured over his head, Scott Frost wrapped up a quick television interview near midfield and started sprinting off the field at Memorial Stadium.

Moments after the clock hit zeroes on a 53-28 victory over Minnesota, it was time for him to soak it all in.

As he ran through the end zone and entered the tunnel, Frost took off his cap and held it high to thank the fans who had waited seven games for the native son who won so many times as a player on this field to pick up his first win as coach.

“I just didn’t expect it to be in October,” Frost said. “But we’ve got as good a fans as there are in the country. They’re loyal. They’re supportive. Our kids appreciate it them. They’re fighting hard for them. Yeah, I almost teared up running off the field. That was a special moment.”

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