What Michigan football's big win and Michigan State's crushing loss say about each program

Michigan and Michigan State football have been trending in opposite directions, dating back to their epic clash in October 2021.

That was reinforced again over the weekend, when the Wolverines crushed Nebraska, 45-7, and the Spartans lost a heartbreaker to Iowa, 26-16.

The divergent results, in many ways, revealed the condition of both programs. Here's how:

Michigan's performance is art

When Trevor Keegan entered the Memorial Stadium room where Michigan’s postgame news conference was held, his face was flushed and his hair matted down. The left guard appeared as if he had put in a hard day’s work during a sweltering afternoon when the Wolverines’ demolition of Nebraska seemed almost effortless. Before it even broke a sweat, Michigan began to overwhelm the hapless Huskers and left them in the dust. Executing with ruthless efficiency, coach Jim Harbaugh’s squad scored on all five red zone incursions, didn’t concede a point for the first 55 minutes and left the field Saturday without committing a penalty or turnover.

The box score was a work of art, a statistical depiction of a team operating at an optimal level in its fifth game of the season.

And yet, quarterback, J.J. McCarthy said, “Week in and week out, we’re always trying to get better. ... We’re never a finished product.”

It was a telling comment by Michigan’s most important player, revealing the mindset of a team that expects to perform to the highest standard without missing a beat.

Almost two weeks ago, Harbaugh appeared ready to tamp down expectations, wondering aloud if his Wolverines began to feel external pressure because their three nonconference victories weren’t impressive enough.

“Win the game … by one point is really what we’re after,” he said.

In truth, the Wolverines want much more than that. They aren’t satisfied with just defeating opponents by the bare minimum margin. They are looking to assert their dominance, impose their will and leave no doubt they are the best team on the field.

“We knew, coming into the offseason, complacency was going to be our biggest threat,” Keegan said.

On Saturday, Michigan didn’t resemble a team that was content to coast on cruise control. Instead, the Wolverines hammered down on the accelerator, playing with both precision and relentless drive. They trampled Nebraska’s No. 2-ranked run defense while gaining 249 rushing yards. They squeezed the Cornhuskers’ offense, extinguishing each of their first eight possessions.

Even when victory was assured, they kept coming.

“The effort is so good,” Harbaugh said. “You can’t ask for more than that.”

Harbaugh was understandably pleased. He knows he has a hungry team eager to reach its full potential. Keegan’s ruddy face afterwards said as much.

INSIDER: Michigan football's domination no longer a surprise: It's an expectation

Michigan State can’t get out of its own way

While it is clear Michigan is going places, its in-state rival has yet to extricate itself from the ditch where it landed more than a year ago. Long before coach Mel Tucker was fired this past week, the program had been bankrupted by a toxic combination of coaching incompetence, poor execution and self-inflicted mistakes. So, it was hardly surprising to see the Spartans snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a 26-16 loss to Iowa on Saturday.

The Hawkeyes’ comeback from a six-point deficit in the second half materialized after a failed fourth-down run from MSU’s own 30 and a pair of special teams blunders. It all began in the third quarter when interim coach Harlon Barnett’s decision to go for it deep in the Spartans’ own territory backfired. A quarterback keeper was stuffed, leading to a turnover on downs and a 53-yard field goal by Iowa that sliced their lead to three points. A botched 15-yard punt by Ryan Eckley then positioned Iowa for the 36-yard field goal that tied the score late in the fourth quarter.

Finally, the collapse struck after another failed MSU drive when Eckley attempted to pin the Hawkeyes on their own side of the field. Iowa’s do-everything defensive back Cooper DeJean fielded the punt, veered left toward an alley, and raced 70 yards to the end zone to give the Hawkeyes a 23-16 lead with 3:45 left in regulation.

The gradual meltdown was particularly maddening, considering MSU gifted scoring chances to an Iowa team saddled with a feckless offense.

“It’s tough,” Barnett told reporters afterward. “It’s tough. I won’t lie to you.”

But it was the latest frustrating result for a program bankrupted by costly mistakes on the field and wrong decisions made from the sideline. On Saturday, MSU outgained Iowa by 127 yards and controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the night. But Noah Kim threw three interceptions, receiver Tre Mosley lost a fumble in the final minutes and MSU committed 10 penalties. Together, the self-inflicted errors set the stage for another defeat — the 12th in their past 18 games against Power Five teams.

DIVE DEEPER: Michigan State was on precipice of stealing win at Iowa. Then it all fell apart.

As Barnett said postgame, "We helped Iowa beat us tonight."

MSU again was its own worst enemy.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin.

Next up: Scarlet Knights

Matchup: Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) at Rutgers (4-1, 1-1).

Kickoff: Noon Oct. 14; SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).

Line: TBA.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biggest takeaways from Michigan football's win, MSU's loss