The University of Michigan and Michigan State University football teams will meet in the annual in-state rivalry showdown for the first time since tensions flared last year. Both teams are heading into the game in completely different directions, despite facing off-field drama.
The last time these two played, there was a postgame brawl in the Michigan Stadium tunnel that ended with legal reprimands for MSU players and a 29-7 victory for the University of Michigan that ended with a postgame brawl in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium. It overshadowed his victory in reclaiming the Bunyan Trophy.
Since then, the University of Michigan has continued its meteoric rise to the top of the college football world despite multiple NCAA investigations. MSU fired head coach Mel Tucker over sexual harassment allegations and has lost four straight games, sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten.
Michigan State will host the 116th matchup in the state championship game. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Spartan Stadium and will be the first night game in East Lansing in series history, and will be televised on NBC and streamed live on Peacock and TV stations. On Fubo (free trial). The University of Michigan enters as a 25.5 point favorite.
See below for live updates from Spartan Stadium.
read more:Cheating allegations against Michigan State football cast a cloud over its victory.
Michigan vs. Michigan State University latest information, highlights
Finals: Michigan shut out Michigan State 49-0
The University of Michigan defeated Michigan State 49-0 to maintain control of the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The Wolverines dominated for all 60 minutes against East Lansing, improving to 8-0 on the season. It was MSU’s fifth straight loss, and they are now 2-5 overall.
Michigan’s backup quarterback Alex Orge added a last-minute rushing touchdown with eight seconds remaining, making the final score a seven-touchdown difference.
JJ McCarthy had the best performance of his career, leading Michigan 28-0 at halftime. McCarthy finished the game with 276 yards and three touchdowns at the midpoint, going 21-of-27 for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He played one drive in the second half and added his fourth touchdown to make it 42-0, after which he and the rest of Michigan’s starters rested for the remainder of the game.
His favorite targets were two tight ends, Colston Loveland and AJ Varner, who both finished with at least 75 yards and a touchdown. Blake Collum rushed for 59 yards and scored the first touchdown. Michigan eased off the gas in the final 20 minutes, but substitutes came in and they were unable to score.
Michigan State, on the other hand, was unable to make any moves on offense, no matter who was on the field for the Wolverines. The Spartans gained just 190 yards and 10 first downs in the shutout. Katen Hauser struggled mightily in her second start against the best defense in the country, throwing a pick-six to Mike Sainristil to add insult to injury.
Michigan is currently 8-0 entering the bye week. The Wolverines will play Purdue in two weeks. Michigan State will play Minnesota next week looking to end a losing streak that has lasted more than a month.
3:10 of the 4th quarter: Jayden McBurrows has a late interception.
Michigan defensive back Jayden McBurrows, who was assaulted in a tunnel battle between the two teams last year, intercepted Michigan State true freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt in the final minutes of a close game.
6:44, 3rd quarter: McCarthy scores AJ Varner’s fourth touchdown, giving Wolverines a 42-0 lead.
JJ McCarthy currently has 287 yards and four touchdowns. This time, he gave another tight end, AJ Varner, a feed at the bootleg goal line for an easy touchdown. Michigan quickly reached the red zone thanks to multiple 15-yard penalties against the MSU defense on the first play of the drive.
3rd quarter, 9:49: Mike Sainristil kicks Hauser and returns for a touchdown, giving Michigan a 35-0 lead.
Michigan State came out of the halftime locker room with its best run ever. MSU put together some first downs and reached Wolverine territory, but faced a force-and-short. MSU decided to go for it, but Katin Hauser and Tre Mosley read the wrong page and Hauser fired from behind him into Sainlistil’s arm. The defensive back tiptoed along the sideline and returned it 72 yards for his second pick-six of the season.
MSU right tackle Spencer Brown was ejected on the play for diving helmet-first into Michigan defensive end Brayden McGregor, who was lying on the ground.
Halftime: Michigan dominates, holding a 28-0 lead.
In East Lansing, it was all Wolverines for the first 30 minutes. One of the most dominant teams in the history of the rivalry.
Michigan had a chance to add more points just before the half, but Donovan Edwards’ misstart and 10-second runoff cost them the extra point before the halftime whistle.
Otherwise, Michigan dominated on both sides of the ball en route to a 28-point lead. The story of the first half was JJ McCarthy, who completed 20 of 26 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns. McCarthy had one of the best first halves of his career, hitting tight windows and extending plays to power an offense that had 63 rushing yards. The Wolverines’ defense held Michigan State to 51 total yards and just two first downs in a complete shutdown effort.
2:54 of the second quarter: McCarthy hits Loveland for his second touchdown.Michigan leads 28-0
Michigan looked good in the first half.
After forcing another three-and-out, Michigan ran the ball from midfield to the edge of Michigan State’s red zone. McCarthy found tight end Colston Loveland again from 22 yards left for his second touchdown connection of the first half. McCarthy sent the ball past the ear of MSU linebacker Cal Halladay and into a tight frame for a touchdown.
10:44, 2nd Q: McCarthy connects with Colston Loveland for a TD, giving Michigan a 21-0 lead.
Things are already getting ugly for Michigan State.
After being forced into a quick punt, Michigan quickly picked up where it left off on offense, accumulating key third-down conversions and surgically moving the ball down the field. With a free play due to an offside, McCarthy threaded a pass through the seam to tight end Colston Loveland, who made a contested catch in the end zone for a 22-yard score.
1:55, 1st quarter: Roman Wilson doubles Michigan’s lead and Wolverines go on a 14-0 run.
Turnovers on downs proved crucial early on. Michigan gained a first down on third-and-13 with a screen pass to Donovan Edwards and entered the MSU 30. On the next play, McCarthy scrambled to his right to avoid pressure up the middle and hit a wide-open Roman Wilson. He completed a 25-yard touchdown on a run in the end zone. It was Wilson’s 10th touchdown of the season.
4:48, 1st quarter: Michigan State misses fourth down.
Michigan State faced a 2-yard first down from midfield on its first drive and made a big fourth down decision. Interim coach Harlon Burnett decided to keep the offense on the field, but Nathan Carter got stuck running up the middle for a turnover on downs. The Wolverines took over at their own 49 points and had a chance to extend their early lead.
8:50 of 1st quarter: Michigan takes first on Blake Collum TD, Michigan leads 7-0.
Michigan received the first kickoff and immediately scored on a 12-play, 84-yard drive. Blake Corum took the lead with a strong run to the goal line from a yard out. JJ McCarthy completed 5 of 6 passes for 74 yards, including two third-down conversions, leading Michigan to the deficit.
Pre-game notes
MSU debuts black “Shadows” uniformequipped with a black helmet, jersey, and pants.
The University of Michigan made national headlines this week for more than just a 7-0 start. The NCAA is investigating the Wolverines for allegedly directly scouting potential opponents, a violation of NCAA rules. The news, announced on Thursday, added to the debate among the rival fan bases in the run-up to kick-off, but ultimately should not have a major impact on the game.
The news energized an otherwise pretty uneventful week, as the Wolverines were largely expected to win. Michigan is undefeated through his seven games, winning by an average of 32.7 points and holding opponents to fewer than seven points per game. It looks like another favorable matchup for the Wolverines’ defense against MSU’s struggling offense and redshirt freshman quarterback Caitin Hauser, who is making her second career start.
Battle of the Tunnel, one year later:What happened? where are they now?
JJ McCarthy and Blake Collum are the main drivers of an explosive Wolverine offense that averages 39.4 points per game. The Wolverines’ offense has an edge over the Spartans defense, which has improved since last year, but is still susceptible to big plays.
Michigan State collapsed again in the fourth quarter against Rutgers last week and has now lost four straight. Interim head coach Harlon Burnett, who has stepped in to replace Tucker, will look to quickly find answers in all three phases of the game to hand Michigan its first regular-season loss since the Wolverines went to East Lansing. .
