No. 16 Michigan Needs Late Surge To Hold Off Illinois 42-25
Senior running back Dre Brown (#25) helped the Illini narrow Michigan's lead in the 4th quarter with a two-point conversion. Vashoune Russell/for Illinois Public Media
Hassan Haskins ran for 125 yards and a touchdown, Zach Charbonnet added 116 yards rushing, and No. 16 Michigan needed a late surge to put away Illinois 42-25 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
The visiting Wolverines (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) built a 28-0 lead by halftime, but turnovers and ineffective offense helped the Illini (2-4, 0-3) cut the lead to 28-25 with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter. Dre Brown ran in from a yard out and then converted a 2-point conversion for the Illini.
Michigan responded with a long drive capped by Shea Patterson's 5-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones. Patterson ran for a score after Michigan forced a turnover at the Illini 1 to seal it for Michigan.
Matt Robinson, starting for the injured quarterback Brandon Peters, a graduate transfer from Michigan, was 16 of 25 for 192 yards and one touchdown for Illinois. He also ran for a score.
Illinois also saw a touchdown from junior wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe and a 50-yard field goal from junior kicker James McCourt.
Michigan racked up 489 yards total offense to Illinois' 256.
THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan: Coming off a 10-7 victory against Iowa, Michigan's offense looked a lot better, but Illinois' defense can do that to an opponent. Michigan lost two more fumbles, raising its season total to nine lost on a total of 17 fumbles.
Illinois: Credit the Illini for coming back against a good defense with a backup quarterback, but the turnovers helped a lot.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Michigan could lose a little ground after a sloppy performance, but probably not much if any.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Hosts No. 8 Wisconsin.
Michigan: Travels to No. 10 Penn State.