Michigan vs. MSU: Five takeaways from a Wolverines’ win
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines were 0-2 against Mel Tucker. The Wolverines had not defeated Michigan State since 2019.
Would that change Saturday?
Michigan entered Saturday night as a heavy favorite against its in-state rival. But the game looked to be a doozy.
The Wolverines shot themselves in the football multiple times in the first half. Cornelius Johnson fumbled the ball on Michigan’s first possession. The Wolverines allowed a few 50-50 catches from Keon Coleman for the Spartans’ to find the end zone. Plus, the maize and blue stalled in the red zone two times, forcing them to kick field goals.
Michigan went into halftime up, 13-7.
But like most of the year, the second half belonged to Michigan. The Wolverines kicked more field goals but the defense was suffocating and Michigan ran the ball at will.
Michigan walked away with the Paul Bunyan trophy after defeating Michigan State, 29-7. The Wolverines will move to 8-0 on the season.
Here are our five takeaways from the win.
Jim Harbaugh got a monkey off his back
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Jim Harbaugh entered the game 0-2 against Mel Tucker since he was hired at Michigan State.
Harbaugh told the media during Big Ten media days that the Wolverines had four goals: beat Michigan State, beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten and win the College Football Playoff.
Michigan has one goal accomplished, and Harbaugh — finally — got a big monkey off of his back after his squad beat MSU on Saturday night. The Wolverines statistically dominated the Spartans. While it looked like the game might go down to the wire, the Michigan defense held MSU in check and the maize and blue won by a large margin.
Michigan has a red zone problem
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Michigan entered the game scoring 26 touchdowns out of 39 attempts when being in the opponent’s red zone.
On Saturday, against Michigan State, the Wolverines reached the red zone five times against the Spartans, but only managed two touchdowns while kicking three field goals inside the 20.
Two weeks ago against Penn State, the Nittany Lions remained in the game due to the Wolverines settling for field goals, and it remained an issue for the second straight week.
When the Wolverines face tough offensive foes, it’s going to be crucial to score touchdowns instead of field goals when driving deep inside the red zone. The Wolverines squandered two drives that were inside the Spartans’ five-yard line.
I believe trying to utilize the speedy receivers and the mismatches they present would help with the red zone woes.
Jake Moody saves the day
Oct. 29, 2022; Ann Arbor; Michigan Wolverines place kicker Jake Moody (13) kicks a field goal in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium. Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jake ‘Money’ Moody single handily beat the Spartans on Saturday night. With all the red zone woes that faced Michigan, Moody was forced to kick three field inside the red zone.
The senior kicker booted five field goals on Saturday evening against Michigan State for 15 points.
Moody kicked his career-long 54 yards against Michigan State.
It’s nice that the Wolverines have a clutch kicker that they can rely on.
Michigan continues to make good second-half adjustments on defense
photo by: Isaiah Hole
In the first half, Michigan State had 189 yards of offense. The Spartans had four passes to Keon Coleman that resulted in 20 yards or more. Two of those passes to Coleman, against Gemon Green, were 50/50 balls that fell the Spartans’ way.
But like every game, the Wolverines came out strong after halftime.
The first three drives in the second half for MSU resulted in three three-and-outs. The Spartans couldn’t find anything on the ground nor did Payton Thorne find anything in the passing department.
With just under six minutes left in the game, Michigan State had minus-1 total yards on offense.
The Michigan defense continues to be extremely impressive, especially after losing so many quality players from last season.
Michigan D-line struggled getting to Thorne but stuffed the run
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Michigan State entered the game as one of the worst running teams in football and Michigan was one of the best run defenses in football.
Both remain true after Saturday.
The Spartans mustered 36 yards on the ground against Michigan.
Twice MSU tried to convert a fourth-and-one while running up the middle, and twice Mazi Smith was right there to stuff the run.
The Wolverines’ pass rush wasn’t as effective on Saturday against Michigan State. The maize and blue sacked Thorne twice (Mike Morris and Braiden McGregor) but it seemed that Thorne had a lot of time in the pocket — primarily in the first half.
The Wolverines’ pass rush has been really good of late, so I don’t think there is much room for concern after Saturday.
