WEST LAFAYETTE - Chris Perry was nearly inconsolable as he limped into the locker room at halftime on Saturday.

The junior tailback injured his left ankle early in the second quarter when a Purdue lineman fell on him while he was pass blocking. But it wasn't the throbbing pain coming from his ankle that led tears to stream down his face.

More so, it was the all-too-familiar, yet symbolic scene of Perry reluctantly hobbling off the field and sitting on the sidelines with the training staff instead of helping the Wolverines in their battle.

"I was really upset," Perry said. "Since I've been here, I haven't made it through a whole season without getting injured. That was a goal of mine to make it through a whole season and play every game."

The same coaches and teammates who challenged Perry prior to this season to be the durable, dependable and capable running back the Wolverines' desperately needed also consoled Perry at halftime.

Trainer Paul Schmidt told Perry to calm down and that it's a long game and a long season. Schmidt told him to be patient.

But Perry had waited long enough. He's waited two seasons to be the star tailback. He trimmed down his weight in the off-season to become quicker. He hit the weight room to become stronger. And after tirelessly working to cure his fumble problems from earlier this season, Perry wasn't going to be denied.

Schmidt taped Perry's ankle so tight that the tailback "lost circulation in his toes," and Perry strapped his pads on and carried the load in the second half. He finished with 78 yards on 16 carries, most of which came after his injury.

"We really needed him," said Michigan offensive coordinator Terry Malone. "He's a very important part of our offense, and he came out like a warrior today.

"He was not 100 percent after he rolled his ankle, and probably needed to sit down the rest of the game. But we needed him and he came out and played."

But Perry said playing hurt is just part of the game, and a huge part of his role for the Wolverines.

"I feel like my team is dependent on me," Perry said. "I have to be out there. I have the starting position for a reason, and I should be out there on the field - especially in games as tight and important as this one."

Such a display of toughness occurred in last week's dramatic victory over Penn State. In the critical, overtime drive, Perry limped off the field only to return a few plays later and punch in the winning score.

"Chris is a tough kid," captain Bennie Joppru said. "There's no way you're going to be able to keep him out of there unless his leg is falling off. That's just the mentality he has, and a reason why he's a great competitor and a great running back."

Said junior receiver Tyrece Butler: "The way he was walking off the field after he got hurt, I didn't think he was coming back for a while. But he's a tough kid and he sucked it up and said 'I'm a leader, I'm the starting running back and I want to lead this team.'"

Perry may be a tough guy, but he admitted he's still having a hard time gaining those tough yards in short-yardage situations. He was disappointed he couldn't put enough pressure on his ankle and drive as hard to gain those crucial first downs on consecutive 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 plays late in the game. He said that's what the Wolverines need to improve on for their stretch run against Big Ten powers such as Iowa and Ohio State.

After the game, Perry was still visibly bothered by the injury. He was even overheard yelling to one of the trainers, "Someone give me a shot, this hurts." But as he limped to the team bus, he said there's no need to worry about him missing any more snaps on the field, as Hell will freeze over before he sits out.

"They'll have to amputate something before that happens," Perry said.