Zvada’s 31-yard field goal as time expires lifts No. 18 Michigan over Northwestern 24-22

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired, Jordan Marshall ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns before exiting with an injury and No. 18 Michigan stayed in the playoff chase by beating Northwestern 24-22 at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

The Wolverines (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) overcame three late turnovers, including two interceptions by Bryce Underwood, and remained in the running for the College Football Playoff with their fourth straight win. Northwestern (5-5, 3-4) lost its third in a row.

“Oh man, how about that one?” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said as he stepped to the podium.

Zvada’s boot capped a 50-yard drive and set off a celebration on the field and in the stands, where a large part of the crowd wore maize and blue. He missed earlier from 34 and 60 yards.

Michigan was up 21-9 when the Wildcats’ Preston Stone plowed in from the 1 two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Michigan then had a third down at its 26 when Braden Turner picked off a pass intended for Deakon Tonielli and returned it to the 6. Caleb Komolafe ran it in on the next play, giving Northwestern a 22-21 lead with 12:05 remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

Michigan then drove to the 30 before Underwood got picked off again, this time by Robert Fitzgerald at the 20. The Wolverines had another opportunity after Northwestern punted, only to give it away again after opting not to go for the field goal. They had a fourth-and-1 at the Wildcats’ 24 when Bryson Kuzdzal fumbled the handoff and Northwestern recovered.

“You appreciate the hard work, you appreciate their fight, their grit to finish,” Moore said.

Marshall had another big outing with Justice Haynes missing his second consecutive game because of a right foot injury. After setting career highs with 185 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a narrow win against Purdue two weeks ago, he scored twice from the 1 and set up a TD run by Underwood with a 65-yard dash. He exited with what Moore described as a minor injury after getting tackled on a 24-yard run early in the fourth.

Underwood, coming off shaky performances in wins over Michigan State and Purdue, completed 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards.

“Just got a lot of things to work on, to watch back on film, to see (what) we did wrong,” Underwood said. “But overall, just coming back next week being better, not making the same mistakes.”

Freshman Andrew Marsh’s 12 receptions and 189 yards were the most by a Michigan freshman since at least 1979. He became the Wolverines’ first freshman wide receiver with multiple 100-yard games since Roy Roundtree in 2009.

Marsh kept the winning drive going with a neat grab, hauling in a third-down conversion as he fell out of bounds along the sideline, and the Wolverines beat Northwestern for the 14th time in the past 15 meetings.

“It means the world to me just to be able to have a chance, an opportunity to come out here with the team, with the guys I work hard with every week,” he said.

Stone was 13 of 27 for 184 yards.

Hunter Welcing had 81 yards receiving, and the Wildcats dropped their 14th straight against Top 25 teams.

Northwestern also fell to 0-7 all-time at Wrigley Field. Six of those losses have come since 2010, when college football returned to the famed ballpark after more than a seven-decade absence.

Takeaways

Michigan: The Wolverines remained on course to make the College Football Playoff, no easy task with No. 1 Ohio State visiting on Nov. 29.

Northwestern: The Wildcats have two more opportunities to become bowl-eligible for the second time in coach David Braun’s three seasons. They host Minnesota at Wrigley next week before visiting Illinois in the finale.

Up next

Michigan: Visits Maryland on Nov. 22.

Northwestern: Hosts Minnesota at Wrigley Field on Nov. 22.

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