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First Posted: 11/30/2013 ANN ARBOR, Mich. &#8212; Michigan went for the victory &#8212; and Ohio State stayed undefeated.
Tyvis Powell intercepted Devin Gardner&#8217;s pass as the Wolverines went for a go-ahead 2-point conversion with 32 seconds left and No. 3 Ohio State held on for a 42-41 victory Saturday in one the most thrilling games in the history of the storied Big Ten rivalry.
Gardner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess to make it 42-41, but instead of kicking for the tie, Wolverines coach Brady Hoke went for the lead with his offense.
&#8220;We played the game to win,&#8221; Hoke said.
Gardner tried to zip a pass into traffic near the goal line, but Powell came up with it. Buckeyes cornerback Roby Bradley recovered the onside kick to seal Ohio State&#8217;s 24th consecutive victory and keep its national championship hopes alive.
Braxton Miller accounted for five touchdowns for Ohio State (12-0, 8-0) and Carlos Hyde ran for a 1-yard score with 2:20 left to make it 42-35.
The Wolverines (7-5, 3-5) started strong as a 16 1-2-point underdog and didn&#8217;t wilt when Ohio State went up 35-21 late in the third quarter.
Michigan, though, couldn&#8217;t make a pivotal play that might&#8217;ve given it the biggest upset in the series since Bo Schembechler&#8217;s first team at Michigan beat what Woody Hayes said was his best Buckeyes squad.
Miller and Hyde had a lot to do with Ohio State staying undefeated for at least another week. The Buckeyes play Michigan State in the Big Ten title game next Saturday in Indianapolis, and need a loss by No. 1 Alabama or No. 2 Florida State to have a chance to reach the BCS national championship game.
Miller ran for 153 yards and three TDs and threw for 133 yards and two scores, Hyde ran for 226 yards to help Ohio State win for the ninth time in 10 games against Michigan.
Both teams scored at least 41 points for the first time in their 110th meeting in a rivalry that dates to 1897.
Gardner was 32 of 45 for 451 yards and four TDs, connecting nine times for 175 yards and a score to Jeremy Gallon, and ran for a 1-yard TD that gave Michigan the first lead in the shootout that went to halftime tied at 21.
It was a slug fest &#8212; literally for a few moments.
The teams exchanged pushes and a couple of punches in the second quarter after a Michigan kickoff.
The Buckeyes lost starting right guard Marcus Hall and kick returner Dontre Wilson and the Wolverines lost backup linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone to ejections. All three players were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and had to leave the field after a skirmish. Hall and Wilson appeared to throw punches. Jenkins-Stone tugged Wilson&#8217;s helmet off and tossed it to the turf.
While walking off the field and toward the tunnel, Hall put both arms into the air and flashed a familiar obscene gesture, extended middle fingers, to the Michigan crowd.
Punishment could potentially linger for Ohio State if both players are suspended for next week&#8217;s Big Ten championship game.
&#8221;The conference office will wait until after the game for the officials&#8217; written report, review the video and then take further action if needed,&#8221; Big Ten spokesman Scott Chipman wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
No. 11 Michigan State 14, Minnesota 3
EAST LANSING, Mich. &#8212; Jeremy Langford ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, and No. 11 Michigan State wrapped up an unbeaten regular season in Big Ten play with the victory.
The Spartans (11-1, 8-0) finished a perfect Big Ten regular season for only the third time. They also did it in 1965 and 1966, when they only had to play seven conference games.
Michigan State will face Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game next weekend. The Spartans had already wrapped up the Legends Division title, but there was no letdown against Minnesota (8-4, 4-4).
The Spartans&#8217; top-ranked defense forced three turnovers and kept the Golden Gophers out of the end zone, repeating a formula that has brought Michigan State within a win of the Rose Bowl.
Indiana 56, Purdue 36
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. &#8212; Tre Roberson threw a career-high six touchdown passes, three to Shane Wynn, and the Hoosiers recaptured the Old Oaken Bucket on Saturday for the first time in three years.
The Hoosiers (5-7, 3-5) finished the season the same way they started &#8212; with a record-setting performance against an in-state foe. They produced their highest point total in the 116-game series and won by 20 or more points for only the seventh time in series history. Plus, the Hoosiers broke the school record for points in a season (463) and extended the school&#8217;s single-season marks for total TDs (62) and TD passes (36).
Purdue (1-11, 0-8) has now lost 10 straight, the second longest skid in school history. It lost 11 straight from 1906-08.
Indiana took an early 14-0 edge, led 35-9 at halftime and never gave the Boilers a chance to come back.
Northwestern 37, Illinois 34
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. &#8212; Northwestern backup quarterback Trevor Siemian threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns and Christian Jones caught 13 balls for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats past Illinois in the finale for both teams.
Siemian started for the injured Kain Colter and was 31-44.
The win ended a seven-game losing streak for Northwestern (5-7, 1-8 Big Ten)
The Wildcats gashed an Illinois defense that has given up big yards and points all season. Northwestern&#8217;s 560 total yards made it the fifth team to top 500 yards against Illinois (4-8, 1-8).
Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was 31-45 for 307 yards and two touchdowns in his last game at Illinois. His one interception was a game-changer.
Trailing 30-27 early in the fourth quarter, Tyler Scott picked off Scheelhaase at the Wildcat 47. Northwestern quickly scored the decisive touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Siemian to Jones.

Hoke’s gamble wins big for Buckeyes