2 years after their epic clash, Michigan and Michigan State football look nothing alike
Almost two years later, it is remembered as the paradoxical turning point in a heated rivalry. In retrospect, it also stands out as an antithetical snapshot of Michigan football, capturing a warped version of a program that has since become one of the best and most meticulous in the sport. The 37-33 defeat to Michigan State in 2021 was, in the words of edge defender Jaylen Harrell, a “big loss.”
But it was also anomalous.
The Wolverines haven’t dropped a Big Ten game since, winning 19 straight against conference opponents. It’s a run defined by crisp execution, the minimization of self-inflicted mistakes and strong finishes. The Wolverines today look nothing like they did on that misty October afternoon 24 months ago in East Lansing, where they turned the ball over twice at critical junctures, committed a rash of costly infractions and relinquished a 16-point lead in the final 21 minutes of regulation.
In the present, Jim Harbaugh’s squad is regarded as a model of efficiency and precision.
When a reporter asked Harbaugh on Monday if Michigan is playing at the highest level since he returned to Ann Arbor as coach in December 2014, he responded, “Yeah. I don’t think that would be going out on a limb.”
A FIRST IN THIS RIVALRY: Barnett-Harbaugh matchup first in Michigan-Michigan State with alums as coaches
The statistical evidence supports his assessment.
In seven games, Michigan has surrendered just 47 points, the fewest in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No team has been penalized less than the Wolverines, who have been flagged just 16 times. Their plus-seven turnover margin is tied for eighth in the country and their quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, has the highest total QBR among all eligible passers.
The proficiency across the board is a byproduct of stability. Since Harbaugh restructured his program in the wake of its downfall in 2020 by installing a new defensive system and returning the offense to its ground-and-pound roots, the players’ understanding of their roles and assignments has grown. While falling in sync with one of the most competent coaching staffs in the country, the upperclassmen have come to master the playbook to the point that, Harrell said, they don’t have to “think too much and just go out there and go.”
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As running back Blake Corum said, “It allows us to play fast. It allows us to not make mistakes.”
It has helped the Wolverines adjust their strategy and dominate after halftime, when they have outscored their opponents, 131-17. It has also made them immune to the regrettable errors that have so often foiled MSU since it toppled Michigan and reached the high-water mark of Mel Tucker’s doomed regime.
Before he was terminated for cause last month following the public revelation of a sexual harassment claim, Tucker presided over a program in slow, steady decline. The Spartans are 6-13 in their last 19 Power Five games and have lost in almost every imaginable way. They have been routed by Ohio State, Washington and Minnesota, looking like a team that never had a shot. They have collapsed against Indiana, Iowa and most recently Rutgers, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. All the while, they have been betrayed by their own leaky defense, substandard quarterback play and poor fundamentals. It’s how MSU transformed from a top-10 squad two years ago into a bankrupt bottom-feeder that now stands as the polar opposite of Michigan.
This season, only two teams in the FBS have given the ball away more times than MSU. The Spartans have also been among the least disciplined in the land, committing 7.5 penalties per game, an average that ranks 118th in the country. The lapses have often occurred in crucial situations. Breakdowns led to MSU’s last two losses against Iowa and Rutgers, hatching a troubling trend where the Spartans fall apart at the end. Through their first six games, the opposition has outscored Michigan State by 30 points in the fourth quarter and revealed its fragile makeup in the process.
“It’s about finishing,” interim head coach Harlon Barnett said Monday. “That’s our next step. We've got to finish.”
HISTORY: Barnett-Harbaugh matchup first in Michigan-Michigan State rivalry with alums as coaches
Not so long ago, during their remarkable ascent in 2021, they did just that. They caused Miami to wilt in the Florida heat. They conjured some magic in the final stages of a thrilling overtime win against Nebraska. And they rallied to overtake their greatest rival. Star running back Kenneth Walker III scored MSU’s final three touchdowns on that Halloween weekend, completing an improbable comeback against the Wolverines that left Spartan Stadium in pandemonium. Walker’s counterpart, Corum, remembers being so overcome with frustration afterward that he got off the bus in Ann Arbor and went straight to the weight room inside Schembechler Hall.
“Got me a good pump,” he said.
The impromptu workout was telling. It showed that Corum — and Michigan, too — was determined to get better. The Wolverines have been on a steady rise ever since, winning 25 of their next 27 games and flexing their muscles as the bullies on the block in the Big Ten.
Come Saturday night, they are expected to pummel the fallen Spartans for the second straight year and reaffirm that much has changed since these teams last met in East Lansing.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin.
Next up: State of rivalry
Matchup: No. 2 Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) at Michigan State (2-4, 0-3).
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.
TV/radio: NBC; WXYT-FM (97.1), WJR-AM (760), WTKA-AM (1050).
Line: Wolverines by 24½.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Michigan State is now the polar opposite of Michigan football
