No. 3 Michigan beat Illinois 19-17 after Corum injured his knee

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has had a couple of scares.

Jake Moody made a 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left the third-place Wolverines to a 19-17 win over Illinois on Saturday.

Michigan (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 3 CFP) played most of the second half without its star running back Blake Corumwho injured his left knee after being picked off just before halftime and had just one assist in the second half.

However, the X-rays gave coach Jim Harbaugh and his players a sense of relief.

“It’s structurally sound, which is great news,” Harbaugh said.

The Wolverines will now turn their attention to playing rival and second-ranked Ohio State on the road, where they haven’t won since 2000 with a Big Ten Championship berth and College Football Playoff implications at stake.

“We’ve been preparing for this all year,” defensive lineman Chris Jenkins said.

The Fighting Illini (7-4, 5-3) took a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter on a 37-yard run by Chase Brown. But they could not build on it.

With a chance to run out the clock and a one-point lead, they had to punt to Michigan late in the game. The Illini couldn’t hang on and beat a top-three ranked team for the first time since knocking off top-ranked Ohio State in 2007.

“Very angry. Very upset,” coach Brett Bielema said. “I think our kids did a lot to win the football game and to have everything going against us all the time is really frustrating.”

Brown finished with 140 yards and two scores on 29 carries after deciding to play through the injured right leg he injured last week.

Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito, a transfer from Syracuse, was 21 of 30 for 178 yards.

With Corum out and the passing game shut down, the Wolverines had to settle for four field goals from Moody in the second half.

JJ McCarthy was 18 of 34 for 208 yards, missing some throws and dropping some on an afternoon with a wind chill of 11 degrees and wind gusts hovering around 18 mph.

“A lot of things that needed to be fixed, but it was great to go out there and just get the win and be in those elements,” McCarthy said. “We haven’t been in a game where the wind has really been like that and it was great to have that experience.”

Corum ran for 108 yards and his 19th touchdown of the season on 18 carries before watching nearly two quarters from the sideline with his helmet off. The Heisman Trophy candidate has eight consecutive 100-yard games to tie the school record set by current running backs coach Mike Hart, who set the mark in 2007.

A HEAVY HEART

Bielema took over his team two days after the death of his mother, Marilyn.

“I made the decision on Friday that this is what I’m going to do,” he said. “It’s a very emotional time and I’m still on top of the football game. It’s going to be a tough couple of days.”

FOR IMPACT ONLY

Moody’s four field goals gave him a school-record 65, breaking Garrett Rivas’ mark set from 2003-06 and matching Remy Hamilton’s single-game mark at Michigan in 1994.

THE MISSING MEN

The Wolverines entered the game without quarterback Mike Morris, who has a team-high 7 1/2 sacks, and dual-threat running back Donovan Edwards due to undisclosed injuries.

Along with Corum, Harbaugh expects any player not completely ruled out to face the Buckeyes.

“Anybody on the edge, knowing our guys, they’re going to want to play,” Harbaugh said.

Illinois’ No. 3 wide receiver Pat Bryant missed the game with a concussion.

FOR TAKE AWAY

Illinois: After back-to-back losses to Purdue and Michigan State, Bielema prepared his team for the game and made adjustments to make the game much closer than expected.

“I thought our guys answered the call and accepted the challenge,” he said.

Michigan: If Corum can’t play or is limited against the Buckeyes, it will be tough for his teammates to win next week.

FURTHER

Illinois: Plays at Northwestern.

Michigan: Plays at Ohio State.