EAST LANSING, Michigan (Ticker) -- This time, there would be no last-second heroics for Michigan State against archrival Michigan at Spartan Stadium.
Linebacker Scott McClintock intercepted Jeff Smoker's 49-yard "Hail Mary" attempt in the end zone with no time remaining as the No. 12 Wolverines held on to defeat the 20th-ranked Spartans, 27-20, to take over first place in the Big Ten Conference.
Chris Perry ran for 219 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 51 carries and John Navarre threw three touchdowns for Michigan (8-2, 5-1), which lost here two years ago on a controversial TD pass from Smoker to T.J. Duckett with no time remaining. The Wolverines thought the clock was stopped prematurely on the previous play, giving the Spartans one last shot they should not have had.
"We have some weapons," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We are not a very easy team to defend because we have guys out there that can run the ball and a guy who can throw it. The plan was certainly not to run the football 51 times, but I kind of like it."
Michigan, which held a 17-point lead with under 11 minutes to play, still had a 27-13 advantage and was driving for another score when Navarre was sacked by linebacker Robert Flagg on an ill-conceived rollout play. Defensive end Clifford Dukes picked up the loose ball and ran 65 yards for a score with 6:03 left.
The Spartans got back the ball at their own 20-yard line with 1:06 remaining but they had no timeouts left and could only get to midfield before Smoker was picked off to end the contest.
"We didn't play like we should have played," said first-year Spartans coach John L. Smith, whose team was off to its best start since 1966. "We tried to come back and make a game out of it. Our kids deserve a lot of credit. They fought hard and tried to do everything we asked. They kept believing. But we have to realize that it's a team effort. We all lost that game, from the coaching staff to offense, defense and special teams."
Smoker completed 21-of-40 for 254 yards, one touchdown and his first interception in Big Ten play this season for the Spartans (7-2, 4-1), who had won five straight games and four of the last five at home against the Wolverines.
Shabaj had four catches for 106 yards for Michigan State, which was coming off a bye week, but Jaren Hayes was limited to 23 yards on 10 carries.
Navarre went 17-of-31 for 223 yards and an interception for the Wolverines, who have won four straight contests. Braylon Edwards had seven catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Perry, who had never rushed for 100 yards on the road before, opened up the scoring with a one-yard dive 2:29 into the second quarter. The Wolverines took a 13-3 advantage into the half on a 40-yard strike from Navarre to Edwards down the left sideline with 63 seconds to play, but Garrett Rivas pushed the extra-point attempt wide ride after a poor hold by Matt Gutierrez.
Following a pass-interference call on Michigan State cornerback Roderick Maples, Navarre tossed a 26-yard TD to wide-open tight end Andy Mignery with 4:12 left in the third quarter to open up a 20-3 advantage. Smoker, however, countered with a 73-yard TD pass to Agim Shabaj on the next play from scrimmage after the Wolverines safeties bit on a pump fake.
After another pass-interference penalty on Maples, Navarre threaded two defenders for a 16-yard touchdown toss to Edwards to make it 27-10 with 13:31 to go. Dave Rayner's 31-yard field goal pulled the Spartans within 27-13 with 10:32 left.
Thanks to Perry and an outstanding effort by the offensive line, Michigan controlled the clock for 39:38. The Wolverines outgained the Spartans on the ground, 216-36, and picked up 29 first downs to 13 for Michigan State.
"The offensive linemen did a great job," Perry said. "To run the ball 50 times, the offensive line did a great job blocking. I was never aware of breaking a record. I just wanted to win."
The team that has outrushed the other has won 33 of the last 34 games in the series.
"They stepped up to the challenge," Navarre said of his line. "I had a good time back there. The line blocked well in both pass rush and run blocking. When our people up front are winning and doing a good job, we're going to have success."
Perry's 51 carries were nine more than the previous Michigan record, set by Ron Johnson in 1967 and matched by Anthony Thomas four years ago.
"Perry has the heart of a champion," Carr said. "I love that kid and the way he's played, and the career he's had at Michigan."
Michigan State, which entered the contest with a national-best 34 sacks, had just one. The Spartans did not allow the Wolverines to sack Smoker even once.
Michigan next has a bye week before concluding its regular season at Northwestern and vs. hated rival Ohio State. Were the Wolverines to win both contests, they would earn their first Rose Bowl berth since the 1997 season, when they edged Washington State in Pasadena to earn a split of the national championship with Nebraska.
"All credit goes to Michigan. They're a good football team," Spartans defensive tackle Greg Taplin said. "The offensive line played a big role in them winning. Chris Perry is an excellent back. He had a big day against us."
