(Photo Credits: Aaron J. Thornton)
It was no surprise that Michigan, ranked No. 2 in the nation, would come out on top of their rival Michigan State. What was surprising was how it was done. The Wolverines thrashed the Spartans on their home field 49-0, in one of the biggest lopsided victories in the history of the rivalry.
Prior to Saturday’s contest, neither team had held the other scoreless since 2000, when No. 16-ranked Michigan defeated the Spartans 14-0 in Ann Arbor. In fact, the Wolverines’ 49-0 win was the most dominant win in the rivalry by either team since Sept. 27, 1947, when No. 11 Michigan beat MSU 55-0 in Ann Arbor during the teams’ 40th-ever meeting.
Behind the cheers of a fairly large number of Michigan fans in attendance, U-M controlled the game from the start, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions to take a commanding 21-0 lead. By halftime it was 28-0 Wolverines, and even then, the Spartans were inevitably saved by a false start penalty that ended the half as Michigan was ready to punch in their fifth touchdown of the half from the MSU four yard line but could not as time expired.
The Wolverines offense was running like a well-oiled machine, but the defense was just as impressive holding the Spartans to just 51 total first half yards (41 passing and 10 rushing). The dominance of both continued in the second half as Michigan would show no mercy, going on to score another 21 points and getting two interceptions from the defense as well.
The running back combo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards is always something opposing teams have to focus on when trying to derail Michigan, but in this game it was the tandem of the tight ends, Colston Loveland and A.J. Barner, who stepped up to have a big impact. Together, the two combined for 178 yards of offense and three touchdowns in what was certainly the best performances of their careers. It’s another example of the strength and balance of the Wolverine offense showing that it can be the running backs, tight ends, or receivers that produce and beat opponents.
In addition to the touchdowns by the tight ends, Corum added a touchdown moving his season total of 13. Wide receiver Roman Wilson scored a touchdown in the game and even reserve quarterback Alex Orji scored late in the game to get a roar of cheers from Michigan fans.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy of Michigan also had another stellar game. In just two and a half quarters of play, he threw for 287 yards, completing 21 of 27 passes, and threw four touchdowns with 0 interceptions. Throughout the game, he showed his versatility in running away from tackles and keeping plays alive with his feet and mobility. “He’s the total package” said Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh, a former quarterback himself at Michigan, said earlier this week that McCarthy could be the best quarterback that Michigan has ever had.
A lot can be said of Michigan’s spectacular play of the offense, but the Wolverine’s stifling defensive unit once again came to play and showcase why they are one of the nation’s best. Linebacker Junior Colson led all Michigan tacklers in the game with 11, however what makes the defense so good is the play of the unit together as a whole. Derrick Moore giving the team a sack in the game, Mike Sainristil and Ja’Den McBurrows both coming up with interceptions, and the countless others who either contributed with pass breakups, knockdowns at the line of scrimmage, or putting pressure on the opposing quarterback to disrupt the Michigan State offense. The result was a shutout victory against the Spartans who only gained 182 yards of total offense (133 passing and 49 rushing) and just 10 first downs for the entire game.
“Everybody did just a tremendous job of playing football,” Harbaugh said in the postgame press conference. “I think that was one of our best games and our guys were just a buzzsaw. …Our guys really had a single mindset of getting prepared and beating State. They just played really great football.”
With the win, Michigan retains possession of the Paul Bunyan trophy in the series and the trophy will bear the maize pants for at least another year.
Next up, Michigan (8-0) will have a bye week before hosting the Purdue Boilermakers (2-5) at home on Nov. 4. Michigan State (2-5) will regroup and travel to Minneapolis next week to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3).
Final Score: Michigan 49 – Michigan State 0