No. 21 Michigan's ground game too much for Purdue

Jordan Marshall rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries to lead No. 21 Michigan to a 21-16 home win over Purdue on Saturday in a Big Ten contest.

Michigan (7-2, 5-1) won its third straight game and sixth of last seven to keep its conference title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Quarterback Bryce Underwood went 13-of-22 passing for 145 yards for Michigan, which rushed for 253 yards and overcame two turnovers.

Ryan Browne went 19-of-24 passing for 133 yards and a touchdown for Purdue (2-7, 0-6), which has lost seven straight.

Purdue rushed for 139 yards and had the edge in time of possession at 32:55, but lost to Michigan for a seventh straight time. The last time Purdue beat Michigan was in 2009.

Leading by just 4 points in the second half, Michigan extended its lead to 21-10 with 10:03 remaining in the game on a 9-yard touchdown run by Marshall, which ended a nine-play, 50-yard drive.

But Purdue answered, driving 67 yards in nine plays and cutting Michigan's lead to 21-16 on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Browne to Malachi Thomas with 6:00 remaining. The two-point conversion failed.

Michigan took over on its own 25-yard line with 6:00 left and ended up running out the clock by driving the ball down inside the Purdue 10-yard line.

With the game tied 7-7 late in the second quarter, Michigan grabbed a 14-7 lead with 17 seconds remaining until halftime on a 3-yard touchdown run by Marshall.

The score came after Michigan took over on the Purdue 32-yard line following a 21-yard punt by Purdue's Jack McCallister.

Michigan opened the scoring with 1:25 seconds left in the first quarter on a 54-yard touchdown run by Marshall.

Purdue answered in the second, tying the game at 7-7 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Antonio Harris, which finished off a 16-play, 75-yard drive that took 9:30 off the clock.

--Field Level Media