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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Things can get rather chippy in a rivalry game, and in the Michigan – MSU game in particular.
The battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy is often known for its toughness and physicality — and maybe even some cheap shots every now and again.
Well, that’s precisely how Michigan safety Josh Metellus saw the Wolverines’ dominant 44-10 victory over the Spartans — as a real physical matchup. But, in his mind, the green and white took things a little too far from time to time.
“Our side was real physical,” Metellus said. “I feel like this defense, especially, we made a statement today. We played real physical. They tried to – it was to the point where we were playing too physical and they tried to do stuff after the play, when we weren’t looking and stuff like that. It just showed today that we were the better prepared team, and we came out and wanted to execute more than they did.”
Each team had over 90 yards in penalties, and each had two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties assessed.
But, as Metellus sees it — and Jim Harbaugh noted that he felt his team kept its composure throughout the game — it was the MSU side that was engaging in extracurricular activities.
One such play was negated due to offsetting penalties, with Michigan State DE Jacub Panasiuk making a late hit on quarterback Shea Patterson. He ultimately was suspended from the game, as he reached the max of two.
Metellus is proud of how the Wolverines managed such situations, especially given what MSU tries to do throughout the game.
“I’m pretty pleased, because I feel like we’re way more classier than them,” Metellus said. “They try to take it to a level that isn’t playing football. We play football over here – I don’t know what they do over there, but we play football, and it showed today.”
Unlike in most games, where the players for both teams take a lot of time to pose for pictures and such, there was very little of that after this one.
You see it even with Michigan and Ohio State — arguably the biggest rivalry in all of sports. But there isn’t that type of sportsmanship between the Wolverines and Spartans.
Sure, a few posed afterwards, but both teams made a quick exit from the field after the game, and Metellus shared what he said to the MSU players who attempted to linger on the field.
“I was telling them to go home,” Metellus said. “It was time for them to leave. They didn’t deserve to be in our stadium. I was just trying to wave them goodbye because some of them wanted to stay on the field and it was our time to shine. We came out with the W so we was just telling them to go home.”
There’s certainly no love lost between these bitter rivals, but for the first time since the Lloyd Carr era, Michigan now has strung together consecutive victories over their in-state enemy.
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