The rivalry win helps restore Michigan's confidence as it faces a difficult stretch

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Sherrone Moore freely admits the month of October wasn't much fun for his Michigan football team.

The Wolverines hit the road and lost two straight games to Washington and Illinois, effectively eliminating them from the Big Ten title game before the calendar could even change to November. For the first time in more than three years, they fell out of the college football polls.

But instead of just letting it slide, Michigan refocused and went back to the drawing board, posting a 24-17 win over in-state rival Michigan State on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

“We’re competitors — we don’t want to lose,” said Moore, Michigan’s first-year head coach. “That was a big piece for me. I wanted the boys to enjoy the moment, accept it and love it – because they deserve it.”

He also encouraged them to “play freely” and “have fun,” although the start of Saturday’s game was the opposite of both. Michigan surrendered 135 total yards to MSU in the first quarter and fell behind 7-0, showing little offensive power and a slow response to the Spartans' ground-based attack. And while Wink Martindale's unit only needed two drives to adjust, the Wolverines' first points, with quarterback Davis Warren at the helm, came just 29 seconds before halftime.

A crucial fumble two plays later gave the ball back to Michigan, who took advantage of ideal field position to kick a field goal and take the lead. Moore's team would never trail again, extending its lead in the third quarter before holding off a late push from MSU to retain the Paul Bunyan Trophy and win the third straight game in this rivalry.

More: Davis Warren returns as Michigan's quarterback in a surprising moment

“It just gives our players juice,” defensive tackle Kenneth Grant said. “We're excited on the sidelines, we were just excited in the locker room. Whenever you get a win like that, you hope you can keep going.”

Winning has been a difficult task lately for Michigan (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten), which has one of the worst passing offenses in college football. The Wolverines are on a winning streak all season, a three-game streak that included wins over Arkansas State, USC and Minnesota, and it came amid turmoil at quarterback. Warren, who also started Michigan's first three games, threw six interceptions despite a 67 percent completion rate.

There were no turnovers or penalties on Saturday, which was Michigan's first flawless game since its win over Nebraska in 2023. That kind of discipline and safekeeping of the football, a rarity for a Wolverines team that started with 15 turnovers, helped overcome several major stat disparities.

“This is a huge win,” linebacker Ernest Hasumann said. “Coming off two losses, this is obviously the spark we need to start a big week with Oregon coming up next. I think we can learn a lot from this. If you win, you get the win – but of course there are things you can work on, get better and improve before the next game.”

Michigan faces a treacherous four-game stretch to end the regular season, which also includes this week's No. 1 Oregon, a road trip to a red-hot, undefeated Indiana next Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS). heard. a home game against Northwestern and the annual finale against Ohio State, which is seeking revenge after losing its last three games.

Achieving bowl eligibility is not a given, nor is a winning season. The Wolverines will likely be underdogs in three of those four games, so it's an uphill climb the rest of the way. But instead of heading into the home stretch with an ugly loss, Michigan has something to feel good about.

Now the task for Moore and his staff is to turn that kind of performance into a surprise.

“Bring it on,” said Warren, the quarterback. “Get the No. 1 team here. I know we can handle it; We are more than capable of taking on these guys.

“We will attack it with the same energy as this week and get even better. Next week we will be better and do our best.”

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