The Michigan Wolverines are slated to face the Michigan State Spartans with in-state bragging rights and the Paul Bunyan trophy at stake in East Lansing on Saturday night. Even though Michigan enters the matchup with much more momentum and is a heavy favorite to win a fourth straight game over Michigan State, nothing is guaranteed in this intense rivalry.
“During training camp, we talked about our rivalries and educated (the players) on what this means,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore told the media
on Monday. “It means a lot. It means everything. We talk about the history of the rivalry and the implications, so we’ll definitely educate our younger guys and let them know that this is a game that we put everything into.”
The rivalry dates back to 1898 and has grown into one of the most heated rivalries in college football, especially in recent years. From Mike Hart calling Michigan State “little brother” in 2007 to Devin Bush stomping on the Spartans’ logo in 2018 to the Spartans assaulting multiple Wolverines in the Michigan Stadium tunnel in 2022, this rivalry has become increasingly toxic.
Moore reflected on his introduction to the rivalry, which happened to be in 2018 when Bush got into a pregame scuffle with several Michigan State players.
“It was intense — Devin Bush was stomping on the field and I was holding him back while he was trying to fight half their team, so I got introduced to the rivalry fast,” Moore said. “You’re not going to win the game by talking. We have to worry about executing and putting in the work to go win this game. That’s it. Don’t worry about all of the other stuff.”
Michigan responded from its loss to USC with a 24-7 win over Washington over the weekend to improve to 5-2 overall, while Michigan State suffered its fourth straight loss to fall to 3-4 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play. The narrative certainly suggests a significant advantage for the Wolverines, but Moore has made it clear that records go out the window in a rivalry.
“Records don’t matter in this game. We’re going to get their best and they’re going to get our best, so it will be a great physical game in a great atmosphere,” Moore said. “Urgency is the key word right now — urgency in everything we do, urgency in details and making sure everything is aligned for us to win this game. We can’t worry about the past.”
Left guard Giovanni El-Hadi reiterated Moore’s emphasis on having urgency this week.
“We’re being urgent in everything that we do,” El-Hadi said. “Not panicking but being urgent. Do all of the little things the right way. That makes a big difference. We know how important these types of games are. Obviously every game is important but some games are a little bit more than others, so we all understand how much this one means.”
The Wolverines are favored by 14.5-points by the oddsmakers, but this rivalry has been unpredictable over the years. Moore’s message that “records don’t matter” can’t be dismissed as cliché because Michigan has to play with emotion and tenacity, while remaining disciplined, in order to avoid to secure a fourth straight win over Michigan State.
