The Michigan Wolverines hit the road once again, but this weekend’s road trip is much shorter than the last one. Sherrone Moore and company head to East Lansing to take on Michigan State in a battle for
the Paul Bunyan Trophy. In this rivalry edition of the Roundtable, we discuss last week’s bounce back win, Hate Week, and more.
Michigan got back on track last week in a 24-7 win over Washington. Give me one positive and one negative takeaway you had from the game.
Von: Positive: Wink got his head out of his ass and called a brilliant game. There was much more base defense, meaning that more often than not, only four guys were rushing the passer. That resulted in three interceptions and a forced fumble on Demond Williams Jr., one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and only giving up one touchdown.
Negative: Semaj Morgan dropped another pass. In fact, I think he dropped another pass as I was typing this out. Six drops in seven games is horrible. For every three passes he has caught this year, he has one drop mixed in as well. For the love of God, give somebody else a shot. Anthony Simpson, Channing Goodwin, Jacob Washington, a walk-on, SOMEBODY.
Scotty: It was great to see Michigan get back to some sound fundamentals on Saturday. Blocking and tackling particularly looked a lot better. However, there were still a lot of missed opportunities, specifically on offense. There were a couple of drives where Michigan got too deep in Washington territory to not come away with points.
Matt: Michigan’s run defense bounced back in a major way. After being gashed by USC’s third-string running back, it was refreshing to see Washington put up just 40 yards on the ground. On the negative side, special teams continue to be a mess. Zvada missed his fourth field goal of the year while the Wolverines continue to get nothing out of their kick and punt return units.
Grace: Positive: the game plan on offense made everyone look good. Negative: we have already seen some flashes of good from this team, but I am hesitant it will stick.
Andrew: Positive: This was Michigan’s most complete game on both sides of the ball against a solid opponent. The offense was balanced, efficient and patient, with the latter being the most impressive. The defense was stingy, calculated and opportunistic, forcing as many turnovers in one game as Washington had suffered all season entering the game.
Negative: Special teams continues to be a giant nothing burger. The return game is flaccid at best, and its past time for the Monstars to return Dominic Zvada’s talent.
Dan: Positive: Young guys keep stepping up. Bryce Underwood had probably his best game as a Wolverine, Andrew Marsh mad some big plays, Jordan Marshall was great, the offensive line dominated with three freshmen starting. A similar story on defense, too. The future of this team, if it stays intact, is bright.
Negative: Injuries. Evan Link out for a few weeks, Justice Haynes, Rod Moore, Brandyn Hillman not playing, Rayshaun Benny going down in the game. It’s cause for concern.
Kellen: I didn’t like how close the game was to start, and the game was certainly closer than the final score entails. That said, Michigan winning the turnover battle was huge, and capitalizing off those first two interceptions with touchdowns was great to see.
Next up is another primetime game against Michigan State. MSU is on a four-game losing streak — is there ANYTHING to be worried about in this game for Michigan?
Von: The one thing that I worry about is Nick Marsh. He is a fantastic wide receiver that can burn a defensive back on any given play. He has back-to-back games where he’s caught seven passes and one touchdown, and he has 36 receptions for 404 yards on the season. Jyare Hill, Zeke Berry and company will need to focus on him all game long.
Scotty: Michigan State almost always plays its best game against Michigan. Nothing comes easy in a rivalry game, so I expect it to be close.
Matt: You always throw the record book out when rivalry week comes. So far this season, Michigan has beaten itself more than anyone else. Michigan should be worried about Wink Martindale’s game plan against a Spartan offense that isn’t as decrepit as it may appear.
Grace: Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh have found some rhythm. Marsh is talented and if they can find some rhythm, they could have some success. Also, given how undisciplined they have been at times, Michigan cannot play into the rivalry and take some silly penalties to keep MSU on the field.
Andrew: It’s Michigan State — a rivalry game. I am worried about everything because wacky stuff always happens in these games.
Dan: Yes. This is Michigan State’s Super Bowl, its head coach is on the hot seat, and it has very little long-term to play for. I expect all the stops to be pulled out and for the Spartans to come out very aggressive at home.
Kellen: Say what you want about Aidan Chiles, but I do like Michigan State’s wide receivers. Nick Marsh is incredibly talkented, and Omari Kelly is the slight leader in yards. Michigan’s secondary has been unreliable this season, so I’m nervous one of those guys could have a big play or two.
With Hate Week comes some hating. What’s one thing (or more) that you absolutely cannot stand about MSU?
Von: Spartan fans wish they had Michigan’s success, but all they have are memories of yesteryear when they actually had decent players and coaches. Those days are no more, so now they resort to making shitty Connor Stalions jokes (over and over and over) on social media — it’s truly all they have. They really live up to their stereotype of being like little siblings, and it’s really annoying.
Scotty: I hate that Michigan State fans love to gatekeep fandom. In their eyes, if you went to Albion College, you have to spend the rest of your life only cheering for Albion. Silly.
Matt: The amount of dirty plays and cheap shots that come out of this game every year is egregious. A typical Michigan vs. MSU game for me is watching Michigan dominate for three quarters and then hoping and praying nobody gets hurt in the fourth.
Grace: The obsession with Connor Stalions considering they beat us in 2021. Just still seems weird to me.
Andrew: In 1973, Michigan State was reportedly the school that cast the deciding vote to select Ohio State as the Big Ten’s representative in the Rose Bowl after The Game ended in a tie. Michigan mounted a 10-point comeback to tie the game before starting quarterback Dennis Franklin suffered a broken collarbone. Despite that, Michigan still had two field-goal chances to win the game inside of three minutes to go. The Wolverines missed both.
This vote was exceedingly controversial and garnered comments from legislators, the Vice President (old friend Gerald Ford), and pundits across the country because everyone knew whatever Big Ten school was chosen would go on to win the Rose Bowl. Not to mention, until 1971, the conference did not allow repeat representatives and Ohio State had played in the Rose in 1972.
Ultimately, one of the best Michigan seasons of all time was over and Ohio State, thanks to Michigan State, smoked USC in the Rose Bowl.
Dan: How much they think about us. It’s crazy how many Spartans were all over the Stallions stuff and make comments about Underwood or our losses. They hate watch every week and Michigan seems to be on MSU fans’ minds more than their own team. I honestly have hardly given MSU much thought this year because I knew they’d be garbage and every relevant game I have paid half attention to showcases the same thing: a lousy football team that isn’t worth my attention.
Kellen: Hey Tom Izzo: stop complaining about the transfer portal culture. Does it make college basketball harder to follow? Sure. Does it stray away from the precious tradition of the sport? I guess. But it’s not going away and you can no longer win the best recruits in the state with a sterling coach resume and a bag man. There’s two type of coaches in college basketball — those who complain about it how things are no longer the way they used to be (Izzo), and those who adapt to the changing times and factor it into roster management (Dusty May). Oh boo hoo, your job has gotten much harder. You’re the highest-paid coach in the sport; to paraphrase Don Draper, this is what the money is for. If you are truly sick of it, then retire like the Tony Bennett’s and the Jim Larranaga’s of the sport.
Give us a bold prediction for the game.
Von: Bryce Underwood throws for 300+ yards and three touchdowns.
Scotty: Justice Haynes returns and has his biggest game of the year (see my bold predictions article for more details).
Matt: Bryce Underwood eclipses 300 passing yards for the first time as a Wolverine.
Grace: Michigan’s defense finally scores a touchdown.
Andrew: The game is going to be uncomfortably close for three quarters.
Dan: It’s an old fashioned butt-kicking, as Michigan runs for 250 yards and scores four times on the ground.
Kellen: Michigan’s Marsh (Andrew) out-gains Michigan State’s Marsh (Nick) by 100 yards.
What’s the final score and why?
Von (7-0): Michigan 31, MSU 10. This game has been uncompetitive since 2021, and I don’t see that changing. The Wolverines take care of business with relative ease.
Scotty (0-2): I think Michigan takes this one, 24-14. The Wolverines have more talent, but it’s on the road and it’s a rivalry game. Michigan State will hang around.
Matt (5-0): Michigan 35, MSU 10. To put it frankly, the Spartans can’t stop anyone. I fully expect Michigan to have its best offensive output of the season. Defensively, it wouldn’t surprise me to see MSU score early on a “July drive” before the Wolverines put the clamps on.
Grace (4-2): 31-10, Michigan. There’s bound to be a mistake or two because this game can be a weird one, but I’m still taking the Wolverines.
Andrew: (6-1): 28-10, Michigan. This is the East Lansing Super Bowl and the Spartans will play that way from the first whistle as Michigan State seeks home revenge from the historic ass-kicking the Wolverines laid down in 2023. However, running back Jordan Marshall’s bruising running style and the mistake-prone Aidan Chiles will prove to be insurmountable and lead to Michigan pulling away in the fourth quarter and the Wolverines winning their fourth straight in the series.
Dan (4-2): Michigan 41, Michigan State 10. Every Big Ten team has had their way with this Michigan State defense on the ground or through the air. I expect the Wolverines to impose their will and win with ease.
Kellen (6-1): Michigan wins, 38-13. This is a Michigan State team that plays like it has already given up on it’s coach, and Michigan’s got its swagger back after beating Washington.
