The Michigan Wolverines defeated Michigan State, 31-20, in the annual in-state rivalry on Saturday night in East Lansing. Here are grades for each position group as Michigan improved to 6-2 and secured a fourth straight win over the Spartans.
Quarterbacks: C+
Bryce Underwood was average at best in his first matchup at Michigan State — completing just 8-for-17 passes to go with 112 total yards and one rushing touchdown. The freshman quarterback had a 13-yard touchdown run in the first half and made sure to hit the Paul
Bunyan pose in the end zone, but there weren’t a lot of other notable plays from Underwood.
Running backs: A–
Justice Haynes returned to the field after missing the last game with an injury and provided a significant boost to the offense. After having 50 yards in the first half, he exploded for 89 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in the third quarter alone. Haynes finished with 152 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble, while Jordan Marshall added 110 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receivers: C-
With the passing game being so limited, the wide receiving corps suffered its worst game in a while. Andrew Marsh led the way with three catches for 54 yards on four targets, highlighted by a 27-yard reception. Donaven McCulley couldn’t find his footing as he finished with just one catch for nine yards on six targets. No other wide receiver recorded a catch in the win.
Tight ends: B
The tight ends weren’t very involved in the passing attack — like they were in a win over Washington last week — because the game plan was much more run-heavy, but they still made quite the impact at Michigan State. The Wolverines ran a lot of two-tight end formations so Max Bredeson and Marlin Klein were key blockers on several big runs from Haynes and Underwood.
Offensive line: A-
The offensive line performed well for the most part — allowing just one sack and three quarterback hits while paving the way for 278 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry. Greg Crippen had a few mistakes including a holding penalty and a bad snap, both of which led to Michigan being forced to punt. Other than that, the offensive line held up very well.
Defensive line: A
Derrick Moore was seemingly unblockable against Washington, and his dominance continued at Michigan State, racking up six total tackles to go with two sacks, one tackle for loss and one quarterback pressure. Meanwhile, Damon Payne Jr. and Trey Pierce (combined for five tackles) were stout on the interior as usual. TJ Guy also stepped up with his first sack of the season.
Linebackers: A
The linebacker unit has created turnovers all season long and this time around, it was Jimmy Rolder that came up with big plays. Rolder had a fumble recovery and sack in just the first quarter en route to posting a team-high 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and one pass deflection in a career-best performance. Ernest Hausmann added eight tackles and one tackle for loss in the win.
Secondary: B
Michigan State star wide receiver Nick Marsh found a rhythm in the fourth quarter but was shut down for most of the game, and Jyaire Hill was the main reason why. At one point, Hill’s coverage forced three consecutive incompletions to Marsh. Additionally, TJ Metcalf’s pass interference led to a touchdown but he made up for it with a great second-half showing.
Special teams: C+
The special teams unit continues to be plagued by inconsistent kicks and sloppy returns. Semaj Morgan has been a disaster at punt returner, inexplicably calling for a fair catch at the five yard line. Fortunately, Hudson Hollenbeck saved his poor first half with a season-best 67-yard punt to pin Michigan State near the goal line. Dominic Zvada also connected on a 21-yard field goal.
