Next Saturday's game against Ohio State was going to happen one way or the other; few games over the course of a season are dependent on the teams' performance the previous weekend. But the luster of the annual Michigan-Ohio State regular season finale would have been tarnished had either the Wolverines or the Buckeyes failed to collect a win this past weekend. Ohio State squeaked by Illinois in overtime - its second close game against an inferior conference opponent in as many weeks. Michigan triumphed, in a mistake-riddled game, and cleared a hurdle that many thought it would not in defeating Wisconsin 21-14 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday.

"Our team is really focused on the task at hand." junior quarterback John Navarre said after the game, dismissing questions of the team overlooking the Badgers. "We were very focused on Wisconsin because they're a dangerous ball club, which you saw out there today. We knew how to play."

They certainly did early on. Michigan established a 14-0 lead 4:19 minutes into the game. The first touchdown came on the Wolverines' first possession, on the strength of a 27-yard run by junior tailback Chris Perry and a 28-yard run by senior fullback B.J. Askew. The latter ended in the north end zone. On Wisconsin's subsequent possession - it's first of the game - tailback Anthony Davis was stripped from behind by Michigan cornerback Marlin Jackson. The ball tumbled to the ground, bounced five yards downfield, and was apprehended by senior linebacker Victor Hobson. An 11-yard Perry run put Michigan up 14-0, and the game looked well in hand, even at such an early stage.

But from there the Wolverines got sloppy, committing two turnovers and stalling out on offense multiple times. Defensively the most telling first half statistic is Davis' 106 rushing yards. His touchdown run in the second quarter from two yards out tied the game at 39-yard Jim Leonhard punt return.

Coming out of the gates in the second half, Michigan's offense put together what was among its best drives of the season. Taking control of the ball with 10:58 remaining in the third quarter, Navarre and the Wolverines pounded the run and were precise with the pass. They moved the ball 78 yards in 16 plays, chewing up over eight minutes of clock. In the drive, Michigan faced four third downs, each of which was converted; the last third down - a 3rd-and-3 from the Wisconsin 8-yard line - resulted in touchdown catch by receiver Braylon Edwards. Edwards caught the Navarre pass two yards from the end zone, made a move and stretched his arm out for the score.

But the offensive star of the game for Michigan was Perry, who after weeks of limited playing time because of an ankle injury returned to fulltime ball-carrying duties and ended the day with a career-high 175 yards and two touchdowns.

"This is the type of game I think about all the time," Perry said.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr emphasized the importance of the running game.

"In November, in this conference, if you can't run the football you'll be one-dimensional, and won't be able to keep your defense off the field. You'll have a tough time winning. Ohio State has proven they can run the ball and (next week) will be interesting."

Next week Michigan takes on Ohio State's Maurice Clarett, who is considered one of the most dangerous backs in the country. Carr thinks that Perry's counterpart - the quick and nimble Davis - was a good test despite being a different style of running back.

Davis rushed for 154 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, and made the highly touted Michigan run defense appear to have more holes than the plot of an Olsen twins movie.

At the end of the game, the sky, which had been gray all day, finally gave way to snow. Perfect weather for the Big Ten in November, the cold and wet conditions underscore the importance of the ground game as the Wolverines head to Columbus.

Squeaking by

In attaining its No. 1 ranking in the BCS, Ohio State has narrowly averted being upset in the past two weeks by Big Ten also-rans Purdue and Illinois.

- Ohio State 10, Purdue 6: Quarterback Craig Krenzel finds Michael Jenkins for an 37-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-1 with 1:36 left in the game to secure the win.

- Ohio State 23, Illinois 16 (OT): Illnois kicks a field goal as time expires to send the game to overtime. In the extra frame, the Buckeyes go ahead thanks to an 8-yard Maurice Hall touchdown run. The Illini has a chance to tie, but two potential touchdown catches are ruled out-of-bounds.