Michigan football takes another bite out of Michigan State in the rivalry

Have you ever watched one of those videos where a shark chases an unsuspecting fish?

And you just knowledge What will happen?

That's how it was.

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles sprinted out of the pocket and seemed unaware of what was coming behind him on Saturday night at the Big House. Because he hadn't secured the ball, and he seemed to be taking his time as Michigan's Josaiah Stewart chased him from behind, gaining ground, opening his jaw, and it was fair to think: We need a bigger boat!

Pooh!

Stewart strip sacked Chiles and the ball was recovered by Kenneth Grant.

If there was one play that summed up this game, it was this – Michigan was lurking in the background, waiting to strike and chasing the Spartans to a 24-17 victory.

Because the Spartans had chances on Saturday evening, but missed them. Or rather, the Wolverines snatched it out of their hands, while the Spartans blew this game in all three phases: They struggled in the red zone. Botched a field goal. Bite on trick plays. Make mistakes and impose penalties for driving violations.

“Frustrating, disappointing – there’s a lot to digest in the game,” MSU coach Jonathan Smith said. “It was really all three phases.”

TRENDING: Fight Michigan vs. Michigan State: After the Wolverines' victory there is a “disappointing” duel

Two plays after that fumble, Michigan turned the scoreboard over, grabbed the momentum and took the lead for good when Dominic Zvada made a 37-yard field goal.

At this point it would have been fair for an MSU fan to think: How in the world does Michigan have a halftime lead?

Well, the Wolverines had no turnovers in the first half, no penalties, and their only real mistake was a botched extra point attempt.

Meanwhile, the Spartans had a great chance to gain a huge lead in the first quarter and blew it.

“We got the momentum back,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore told Big Ten Network at halftime. “We didn’t start off strong.”

That's an understatement.

Michigan State dominated early

Let's start with the first quarter.

MSU (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) dominated Michigan (5-3, 3-2) early in this game. In almost every measurement.

The Spartans gained 135 yards on their first two possessions. More importantly, the Spartans had no negative plays. Want another crazy statistic? The Spartans had eight first downs before Michigan went seven plays.

And it wasn't just one player. Six different Spartans ran the ball in the first quarter as Michigan State executed putbacks, QB runs and had Michigan on its heels, gaining a gaudy 5.5 yards per run.

The Spartans forced the ball down the Wolverines' throats, running the ball 11 times on their first possession and reaching the Michigan 2.

More: Was Michigan State football robbed when it tackled LB Jordan Turner? You decide

It was truly breathtaking. The Spartans controlled the battle line, did what they wanted, and dominated in every area except for the most important point:

The scoreboard.

“I think everyone in the locker room knows we probably should have won that game,” MSU running back Nathan Carter said.

Well, if they had scored more touchdowns. Funny how that works.

Unfortunately for MSU, getting into the end zone is still a problem.

On their first possession, the Spartans lined up for a four-and-goal play, but a delay in the game flag changed those plans. So MSU brought out its kicker Jonathan Kim, who missed a 25-yarder to the right side.

That was the blood in the water.

Bringing in the sharks.

“In hindsight, I want to take some time off,” Smith said.

Michigan came to life just before halftime

The Wolverines came to life in the second quarter.

With a new quarterback.

Who was the old quarterback?

Davis Warren.

Yes, the guy who started the first three games of the season but was benched because of his propensity for interceptions.

Now, Michigan played it safe with him early in this game. It was like he was playing quarterback with training wheels – he was just throwing incredibly confident and easy passes.

But then?

Well, toward the end of the first half he really got hot and hit Colston Loveland for a 10-yard touchdown.

“Our O-line stepped up on that last drive,” Moore told BTN. “We need to redirect our focus. We can’t believe this will carry over to the next half.”

The second half was dedicated entirely to Michigan.

Suddenly the Wolverines gave a flea flicker.

Suddenly, running back Donovan Edwards threw a touchdown pass.

And suddenly everything was easy for the Wolverines.

So there are two ways to watch this game. In a way, the Spartans blew it by not getting out to a big lead in the first quarter when they had Michigan on the ropes.

But give the Wolverines credit. They responded as the Spartans withered away.

The gluttons were the sharks.

And the Spartans were unsuspecting prey, not knowing what was coming.

A missed field goal. A few trick plays from Michigan. And there was no turning back.

Nevertheless, the Spartans still had one last chance. Chiles started doing amazing things and Nate Carter had a fantastic run after a catch.

Then it came down to this: With two minutes left, MSU reached Michigan's 16-yard line.

Quarter-and-five.

Chiles was on the run and Stewart pursued him again.

The shark got closer, but this time Chiles was able to get rid of the ball… and it fell incomplete.

“We’re not getting this done,” Smith said afterwards with a sigh.

And Michigan had its win, its third straight in the series.

Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

Michigan football takes another bite out of Michigan State in the rivalry

Michigan State dominated early

Michigan came to life just before halftime

Similar Posts

Preview: No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 7 UND – Grand Forks Herald

“The Wall” at the Clippers’ new arena stuns KD, but LA loses

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Archives

Categories