A night that seemed ripe with opportunity for Illinois ended in disappointment, yet another loss to Michigan at Memorial Stadium, this time 27-17.
The 24th-ranked Wolverines went without injured running back Mike Hart, lost starting quarterback Chad Henne for parts of the game and still overcame a 14-3 deficit to escape with a victory.
With their sixth straight triumph, the Wolverines (6-2, 4-0) stayed on track for their annual showdown with Ohio State for the Big Ten title. It was the Wolverines’ ninth straight victory in Champaign, where they haven’t lost since 1983.
Illinois (5-3, 3-2) lost its second straight, and remained one win away from bowl eligibility.
In the end, Illinois made too many mistakes to win.
The Wolverines took a 24-17 lead on a slow-developing play. Henne handed off to receiver Adrian Arrington, who headed right and lobbed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham with 8 minutes 12 seconds to play.
The score came two plays after Kyle Hudson fumbled a punt and Michigan’s Sean Griffin recovered at the Illinois 13.
In the previous series, Michigan had picked up field position on two Illinois personal fouls, a facemask call on cornerback Vontae Davis and a late hit out of bounds by safety Kevin Mitchell. Coach Ron Zook protested, earning a warning from the officials.
K.C. Lopata’s 39-yard field goal gave Michigan a 27-17 lead with 3:49 left in the game.
The Illini came into the game buoyed by their strong start, and then learned Michigan would go without Hart, who injured an ankle last week. But the Wolverines simply plugged in backups Carlos Brown, who started, and Brandon Minor, who also had a minor ankle ailment.
As he indicated he would, Zook gave redshirt freshman quarterback Eddie McGee a chance to spark the Illini, and he did.
McGee entered the game with 7:31 left in the third quarter and Michigan ahead 17-14. He drove the Illini 50 yards before the drive stalled, and Jason Reda’s 37-yard field goal pulled the Illini into a 17-17 tie with 3:47 left in the quarter.
The Illini grabbed the momentum early, getting its third sellout crowd to its feet as sophomore Vontae Davis brought the opening kickoff back 63 yards to the Michigan 33.
After Rashard Mendenhall ran for 6 yards, Juice Williams found Jacob Willis open on a simple post pattern for a 27-yard touchdown. It was a case of redemption for Willis, who lined up incorrectly at Iowa last week for a penalty that negated a potential winning touchdown pass.
After starting without Hart, the Wolverines were without Henne for a while when he left after being sacked by David Lindquist and Chris Norwell.
Still, freshman backup Ryan Mallett guided a 44-yard drive that ended with Lopata’s 25-yard field goal. Cornerback Dere Hicks prevented a touchdown on third down, breaking up a pass to Manningham.
Just as Michigan was gaining some momentum, the Illini seized it back after the field goal. Williams guided the Illini on their longest scoring drive of the season in plays (13), yards (90) and time (6:23), taking a 14-3 lead after Daniel Dufrene went around left end for an 8-yard score with 9:58 left in the first half.
Henne returned for Michigan’s next possession and took charge, directing a six-play 81-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard scoring pass to Manningham, who had hauled in a 24-yard completion on the previous play. Henne also hit Arrington for 39 yards.
After Illinois failed to move the ball after the kickoff, Henne went to work again, this time getting help from Illinois. On fourth and 7 from the 13, Michigan punted but Joe Morgan was called for roughing, and Michigan kept the ball.
Henne then completed an 81-yard drive, hitting Arrington for a 16-yard touchdown on a pass from one side of the field to the other. Arrington made a diving catch going out of bounds, and officials originally ruled it incomplete.
Replays made it an easy play to reverse as Michigan took a 17-14 lead with 0:45 left in the first half.
Michigan went without Hart, the nation’s leading rusher at 154 yards per game, who injured his right ankle against Purdue last week.
Third-stringer Carlos Brown, a sophomore who had carried 26 times for a 3.8-yard average this season, received the nod over backup Brandon Minor. Unlike Hart, Minor suited up, but he’s still slowed by an ankle injury also suffered against Purdue.
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Illini 2-minute drill
Getting offensive: Chad Henne had a memorable second quarter: 9 of 12 for 138 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan took a 17-14 lead to the locker room.
On the defense: Illinois recorded three sacks in the first half, 1 1/2 by David Lindquist.
The number: 90. Length, in yards, of Illinois’ second touchdown drive, its longest of the season.
They’re still talking about: Vontae Davis’ 63-yard kickoff return to start the game that set up Illinois’ first touchdown.
Sick bay: Michigan’s Mike Hart, the nation’s leading rusher at 154 yards per game, sat out with an ankle injury suffered last week.
Audible: Illinois’ Jason Reda was wide right on a 47-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter, his first miss in 10 attempts this season. It would have pulled Illinois into a 17-17 tie. … Joe Morgan’s roughing-the-punter penalty kept alive a drive that gave the Wolverines a 17-14 halftime lead.
Looking ahead: Illinois takes a break from the Big Ten for homecoming, meeting Ball State at 11 a.m. Saturday. Ball State improved to 5-3, 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference with a 27-23 victory at Western Michigan.
— Terry Bannon
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tabannon@tribune.com
