Michigan beats Purdue in Big Ten championship: Live updates recap

FINAL: Michigan 43, Purdue 22

Michigan has gone back to back in Indianapolis. The Wolverines beat Purdue 43-22 to win their second straight Big Ten championship.

The game started on Saturday night and ended at the stroke of midnight.

A strong second half inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the same building where Michigan dominated Iowa in last year’s title game, was the difference.

A drive-by-drive recap is below, and be sure to check mlive.com/wolverines for continued postgame coverage.

1:22-0:00

Purdue moves the ball before time runs out.

Michigan 43, Purdue 22

5:06-1:22

Purdue indeed tried an onside kick, and fifth-year tight end Carter Selzer, “The Sheriff,” fields the sidewinding grounder. Michigan sticks to the ground game to move the clock, with Kalel Mullings picking up four yards on fourth-and-2 to move the chains. He or Edwards carried the ball on all eight plays, with Mullings punching it from three yards out for his second touchdown of the game.

Michigan 43, Purdue 22

9:06-5:07

Purdue got down the field, but took a lot of time doing it, and only got three points out of it. Mitchell Fineran is now 5-for-5 on field goals. This one was from 32 yards. Now it’s a two-score game, but time is running out for the Boilermakers. They’ll likely try an onside kick here.

Michigan 36, Purdue 22

9:57-9:06

McCarthy throws a laser to Ronnie Bell streaking towards the back of the end zone. Touchdown, Michigan. It’s 17-yard strike. Up 15, Michigan goes for two, showing a funky formation -- all but one lineman was off to the left at the snap -- and connecting on a pass to convert. Michigan is up three scores, and is in terrific position to win a second straight Big Ten title.

Michigan 36, Purdue 19

10:07-9:57

Purdue’s drive starts on its own 12. O’Connell’s first pass is not caught. His second is, by Michigan’s Will Johnson. It’s the freshman’s second interception of the game. Huge play.

Michigan 28, Purdue 19

12:37-10:07

Edwards goes for 16 yards on the first play but Michigan doesn’t pick up another first down, and punts.

Michigan 28, Purdue 19

15:00-12:37

Purdue gains 66 yards over 13 plays, but on fourth-and-6 from the Michigan 10, Jeff Brohm opts for the field goal. It’s good. Mitchell Fineran is 4-for-4 and sets a Big Ten championship in the process for made field goals.

Michigan 28, Purdue 19

1:35-0:00

Purdue picks up a first down, with a throw on third-and-6, and will face a second-and-10 from its own 35 when the fourth quarter begins.

Michigan 28, Purdue 16

3:37-1:35

Michigan picks up a first down before J.J. McCarthy, after scrambling and having all night to find someone, throws an interception.

Michigan 28, Purdue 16

7:38-3:37

A pass interference, on another ball intended for Jones, moves the ball into Michigan territory. O’Connell puts perfect touch on a soft lob to tight end Paul Piferi for 26 yards to Michigan’s 8. The defense holds up, with Taylor Upshaw and Eyabi Okie combining for a sack. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Purdue -- for shoving Okie after the whistle -- made it a 43-yard field goal. It was good.

Michigan 28, Purdue 16

9:29-7:38

Michigan goes with a QB sneak to gain four yards, but Kalel Mullings can’t pick up the first down with either of the next two carries, and Brad Robbins punts, with the ball coming off his foot at the goal line. It’s fair caught at the Purdue 41.

Michigan 28, Purdue 13

10:32-9:29

O’Connell and Jones, childhood teammates, really do have great chemistry out there. They connect for a 32-yard gain down the right sideline despite decent coverage by D.J. Turner. On the next snap, Purdue runs a very unique play: running back Devin Mockobee takes the handoff, goes forward, pauses, and fakes a toss back to the quarterback. So sort of a fake flea flicker. Mockobee kept the ball and gained 25 yards. On the next play, Will Johnson intercepted a ball headed towards the end zone. Johnson dove and landed on the 1-yard line.

Michigan 28, Purdue 13

11:20-10:32

Michigan scores in just two plays. McCarthy fires a laser to Luke Schoonmaker, who runs quite a bit after the catch for a 40-yard gain. Then Donovan Edwards breaks six or seven tackles to score from 27 yards out. Michigan’s season-long second-half dominance continues.

Michigan 28, Purdue 13

12:25-11:20

Michigan’s defense forces a three-and-out, just as it did to start the game. The punter bobbled the snap, which let a Wolverine get close for a potential block. Instead it was more of a tackle, and it drew a flag. It was just for running into -- and not roughing -- the kicker. It wasn’t enough for a first down, and Michigan declined the penalty.

Michigan 21, Purdue 13

15:00-12:25

On the first snap of the second half, Donovan Edwards somehow makes a man miss at the line of scrimmage -- with a “now you see me, now you don’t” shoulder shake -- before racing down the left sideline and eventually stepping out of bounds on his own as a defender closed in. Kalel Mullings gets two carries to cover the final seven yards and scores his first career touchdown.

Michigan 21, Purdue 13

0:51-0:00

The Boilermakers gain four then waste way too much time getting the second snap off. But they do pick up 20 yards through the air and get out of bounds. Good thing safety Rod Moore was there after a teammate missed a tackle. The next play drew a flag for offensive holding. Purdue gains three and finally calls its first timeout, with 12 seconds left. A 13-yard gain gets Purdue to the Michigan 42. Another timeout, with four seconds left. O’Connell faces pressure and throws it away to end the half.

Michigan 14, Purdue 13

1:23-0:51

A touchback puts Michigan’s offense at the 25 to start. Michigan calls three pass plays, and McCarthy’s scramble, acceleration, and dive out of bounds comes up short of the sticks on third-and-6. Purdue gets the ball back on a punt with all three of its timeouts.

Michigan 14, Purdue 13

7:05-1:23

Purdue picks up two third-and-1s before facing a 3rd-and-12 and hitting a 20-yard pass. O’Connell is 16-of-17 for 146 yards after that one. The drives stalls -- Michigan nearly intercepts a pass before a Purdue field goal splits the uprights from 45 yards out.

Michigan 14, Purdue 13

13:39-7:05

McCarthy hits Ronnie Bell for a 20-yard gain for the big play in the drive. Michigan sets up for a field goal on fourth-and-6 from the Purdue 30, but Purdue jumps offsides before the snap. And so Jim Harbaugh sends the offense back to the field, and Kalel Mullings picks up the necessary yard to keep the chains moving. Donovan Edwards got Michigan in the red zone, then inside the 10. On third-and-4 from the 7, McCarthy rolls right, buys time, and finds Luke Schoonmaker in the end zone. Michigan is back on top. It’s a 13-play, 75-yard drive, with a costly penalty keeping it going.

Michigan 14, Purdue 10

15:00-13:39

The teams move to the other side of the field as the second quarter begins with a Purdue fumble. It sets up a third-and-12 from the Michigan 17. Freshman corner Will Johnson makes a nice open field tackle on that play, and Purdue settles for a field goal. It’s good from 33 yards out. Purdue has the lead.

Michigan 7, Purdue 10

3:11-0:00

On fourth-and-4 from the Purdue 44, the Boilermakers run a fake punt and pick up the first, barely. O’Connell finds -- who else? -- Charlie Jones for a 25-yard gain on the next play. The quarter ends with Purdue facing a second-and-8 on the Michigan 13.

Michigan 7, Purdue 7

4:13—3:11

A quick three-and-out from the Wolverines. It was a tough drive for J.J. McCarthy, who was flagged for an illegal forward pass on the first play. On third-and-13, he threw a laser to a streaking Ronnie Bell down the middle of the field. Bell got both of his hands on it but couldn’t bring it in. Maybe a little too much heat on it but probably a ball that should have been caught.

Michigan 7, Purdue 7

9:06—4:13

After an illegal block on the kickoff, Purdue began the drive on its own 9. It found the end zone though in nine plays without facing a third down. Charlie Jones showed why he’s the Big Ten’s leading receiver on this drive, catching three straight passes for 46 yards to put the team at the Michigan 21. Tyrone Tracy found a hole on a perfectly executed counter that went for a 20-yard gain, and the Devin Mockobee punched it in from the 1.

Michigan 7, Purdue 7

12:59—9:11

The Wolverines started on their own 45 and quickly converted on a third-and-9 with a 9-yard completion to Cornelius Johnson. On the next play, Roman Wilson appeared to make a sensational catch on a low throw from J.J. McCarthy, but on replay, it was ruled incomplete. McCarthy made up for the missed throw on third-and-6, rolling out to his left to escape pressure and then finding Ronnie Bell open for a 16-yard completion. He capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman TE Colston Loveland, who made a leaping grab in double coverage. Second straight game with a touchdown catch for Loveland.

Michigan 7, Purdue 0

15:00-12:59

Michigan won the toss and deferred to the second half. Purdue will start on its own 19. What an opening stand from the Wolverines’ defense. On the first play, true freshman CB Will Johnson blew up a wide receiver screen and tackled Charlie Jones for a 6-yard loss. Then on third-and-13, Jaylen Harrell sacked Aidan O’Connell. Michigan didn’t get immediate pressure but had solid coverage down field, and eventually Harrell got to O’Connell.

Michigan 0, Purdue 0

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PREGAME UPDATES

- Michigan defensive lineman Mike Morris will not play tonight, per a team spokesperson. He missed the Illinois game because of injury and only played 11 snaps last week against Ohio State before exiting the game.

- Running back Donovan Edwards is still wearing a cast on his right hand. With Blake Corum out, he likely will step in as the No. 1 back once again.

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Michigan is aiming for its second straight Big Ten championship and has a chance to accomplish the feat Saturday night against Purdue.

Kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is at 8:17 p.m., and MLive will be there providing live updates throughout.

The Wolverines capped their first undefeated regular season since 1997 with a 45-23 win over Ohio State last week. Now they turn their attention to an 8-4 Boilermakers team that has won three straight to clinch the Big Ten West.

This has been a busy news week for Michigan, which will be without star running back Blake Corum, who underwent knee surgery this week. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a senior captain and the “tip of the spear” in Michigan’s defense, is facing a felony weapons charge following an Oct. 7 incident in Ann Arbor. He is expected to play tonight.

For the Boilermakers, they are in the conference title game for the first time and looking to win a Big Ten title for the first time since 2000. They have one of the best offensive duos in the league with quarterback Aidan O’Connell and receiver Charlie Jones, who ranks top-five nationally in receptions (97), receiving yards (1,199) and touchdowns (12).

Here are links for some pregame reading:

QB Cade McNamara plans transfer to Iowa

DT Mazi Smith lacked valid concealed pistol license when pulled over, police say

What can Michigan do vs. Purdue to inspire confidence for playoffs? Beat writers chat

Recruiting: Michigan regains its footing in Ohio

24-year-old QB, versatile defenders among Purdue’s key players vs. Michigan

The 10 defining moments of Michigan’s football season

Big Ten championship: Michigan vs. Purdue predictions from MLive’s beat writers