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As the season falters, the Wolverines find a way to finish off the Spartans

Posted on by Vanessa
As the season falters, the Wolverines find a way to finish off the Spartans

Ann Arbor — The Wolverines were shaken, and even though it was early, it felt like it was already late. There was excitement around the Spartans and everything was changing – the game, the season, the direction of the rivalry.

However, one thing we have learned from this annual battle is that there is always a counterattack. Michigan found its footing just in time to avert disaster and deliver a crusher. Michigan State rose in its first season under Jonathan Smith and Michigan has regressed since its national championship. But there remains a gap, even if it will probably continue to narrow.

The Wolverines didn't show much at the start, but ultimately showed poise and discipline. They escaped with a 24-17 victory at Michigan Stadium on Saturday night, confirming our suspicions about both teams.

Neither will win the Big Ten this season, but neither will back down. Michigan's offense is still a tough battle – Davis Warren and Alex Orji split time and delivered just enough – but its defense can still stand strong when needed. And Michigan State's offense with young quarterback Aidan Chiles has everyone on both ends holding their breath.

No one needed this win more than first-year head coach Sherrone Moore, and he seemed to know it, emptying the offense's bag of tricks. The eventual winning touchdown came early in the fourth quarter when Donovan Edwards received a pitch from Warren and threw a halfback pass to Colston Loveland for a 23-yard touchdown, taking a 24-10 lead and a frantic finish.

In some ways, it's good to get the rivalry back after the losses in the last two seasons. There were bad ways, though, such as the skirmish after UM ran out of time when Loveland and MSU defensive end Anthony Jones exchanged words and jabs. Loveland capped it off with a half-hearted headbutt that sent players from both teams to the middle of the court, where they did some more shoving, some swinging, and angrily arguing.

To make sure everyone knew the grudge had returned, Loveland revisited the tired insult that rouses the crowds, but seemed out of place that day.

“Little brother keeps doing little brother things, you know,” Loveland told Big Ten Network after the game. “MSU, they are little brothers.” They can do whatever they want. We know it will be difficult, but we are doing everything right within the game. And if they want to be busy after that, we'll be busy.

A tough fight

Honestly, no one was overly busy during the game, and only moderately busy afterward. It was physical but not dirty and not completely sloppy as feared. Michigan (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) did not commit a turnover and was not assessed a single penalty, while MSU (4-4, 2-3) lost a fumble and was penalized six times. I'm sure the disparity is duly noted, but the truth is that the Spartans made the majority of the crucial mistakes.

It was the rivals' first meeting in the Big House since the infamous tunnel brawl, and it wasn't remotely like that. But the Wolverines' third straight win in this rivalry was more in line with what we know and expect after their 49-0 and 29-7 victories.

The Spartans are on their way back once they capitalize on Chile's consistency. And after a brutal first quarter, the Wolverines showed they can still overcome adversity, even if their quarterback situation remains a mystery. Warren returned as a starter after being benched four weeks ago and after Jack Tuttle was injured and struggling.

Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell eventually found a decent mix of Warren and Orji, who rushed for 64 yards, including two clock-making runs at the end. Warren was 13 of 19 for 123 yards and a touchdown and was not sacked.

“We came back to this decision (to Warren) and feel really good about it and what he did,” Moore said. “To his credit, he never batted an eyelid. Always the same guy, trained the same way, same teammate and same person.”

More: Niyo: Michigan QB Davis Warren gets a chance to finish what he started

Warren moved the offense at times and definitely moved his teammates as well. As Edwards concluded his postgame press conference, he made a plea to the media regarding Warren: “You better stop shutting him out.”

He's counted again for now, and he deserves it. However, if the 110,849 people present had been surveyed after the first quarter, they would have been far less satisfied. The Spartans dominated early and took a 7-0 lead on Nate Carter's 2-yard touchdown run. At the end of the period, MSU had seven first downs and 135 total yards. UM had a first down and 15 yards.

The Wolverines fought but didn't panic and somehow grabbed a 9-7 halftime lead. The Spartans missed their chance for more when Jonathan Kim missed a 25-yard field goal. MSU needed to use up the yards, but Smith made the odd decision to punt on fourth down after UM's 2. A delaying penalty pushed him back, and then Kim pushed him past the goal.

Meet the standard

After Warren got comfortable and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Loveland, the score was 7-6 with a missed extra point. With 29 seconds left in the half, MSU tried to score more and Chiles fumbled when Josaiah Stewart sacked him. That set up Dominic Zvada's 37-yard field goal and UM never trailed again.

So, um, what was said in that second quarter when the Wolverines looked flat and deflated?

“If you understand what I said, I can’t say exactly what I said,” Moore said with a smile. “The message was that we weren't controlling this game the way we should have, especially on offense. The precedent we set by wearing that helmet and that uniform is a standard, and I didn't feel like we were upholding that standard. I just challenged her to do it.”

The defense also stepped up its game. Despite Carter's 118 yards rushing and MSU's 352-265 yardage advantage in total, the Spartans were unable to finish. They lost 14 yards to an intentional grounding by Chiles, and then with two minutes left, Chiles missed 16 yards on UM's fourth and fifth attempts.

It was a game that many thought the Spartans would win, even though they were slight underdogs. They certainly had their chances – a botched onside kick in the third quarter didn't help – and the sting will last longer than most.

“We believe we should have won this game, and I think everyone in the locker room knows we probably should have won this game,” Carter said. “Just too many missed opportunities.”

More: “We should have won”: Spartans lament missed opportunities in rivalry defeat

Smith and Chiles went into the rivalry as underdogs and definitely got a taste of it, right down to the meanness at the end. Moore said the scuffle was “disappointing” and “unacceptable” and that he would handle the matter internally with his team, with No. 1 Oregon coming to town next.

After the heat of battle subsided, Loveland accepted his measure of responsibility.

“It always gets tricky, I kind of got carried away at the end,” Loveland said. “We just talked back and forth, pushed a little bit and stuff. That’s how the rivalry starts.”

From the looks and sounds of it, the rivalry is almost certainly here to stay.

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@bobwojnowski

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