Michigan’s 44-10 win biggest in Mark Dantonio era

Michigan football beat Michigan State 44-10 this week in the worst loss Mark Dantonio ever had against the Wolverines.

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Since arriving in East Lansing in 2007, Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has had Michigan football struggling to take him down. Dantonio is 8-5 against the Wolverines with a four-game winning streak lasting from 2008-2011 and a three-game win streak from 2013-2015.

Since Michigan has hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach though, Dantonio is 2-3 against Michigan and in their game yesterday, it was the worst performance Dantonio has ever had against the Wolverines. Michigan won the game 44-10, and the 34 point win was the biggest against MSU since Michigan won by 46 in 2002 when they won 49-3. The worst loss before yesterday’s under Dantonio? 2018 when Michigan won 21-7.

Michigan didn’t just score more points than they ever have against Dantonio, they set all types of records against Dantonio and his MSU teams. Since Dantonio was brought in as the head coach, Michigan hasn’t had an offensive explosion like they did this yesterday.

Michigan put up some numbers yesterday. pic.twitter.com/7JacRFT0Xu

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 17, 2019

It was a complete domination by the Wolverines yesterday and one that they will never forget. It might even be the last game they ever play against Dantonio depending on what happens after the season as MSU is 4-6 this season with two games left to play. Their bowl chances look slim as they have to win out against Rutgers and Maryland to finish the season 6-6. In his past four seasons, Dantonio is 24-24 with his best season being in 2017 when MSU went 10-3 and won the Holiday Bowl.

If this is his last season at MSU, Dantonio is walking out with a huge loss to Michigan, never getting his revenge from the beatdown. If Dantonio does return for the 2020 season, he will be looking for his revenge but it won’t be easy as the Wolverines seem to have finally figured out their offense and another year under it could be dangerous for their opponents next season.

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Michigan football grades from Week 12 win over Michigan State

Michigan Football defeated Michigan State 44-10 on Saturday, how did each position grade out in the dominating rivalry win?

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Michigan had an extra week to prepare for Michigan State, as they had a bye week last week. The extra week of preparation seemed to be a big help for the Wolverines as they ended up dominating the Spartans, winning 44-10.

The offense exploded with points as quarterback Shea Patterson had his best game ever at Michigan, the defense kept the MSU offense in check, and special teams got involved in the game as well. Check out how each position graded out in the team’s big rivalry win.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: A

Patterson played lights out against his rival, in a game where he started out going 3/8 and already getting sacked once, it looked like it would be a long day for Patterson. Well, it was a long day, a long day of dominance as Patterson finished the game going 24/33 for 384 yards and four touchdowns as he had his best game as a Wolverine. He would throw for over 300 yards for the first time at Michigan, and he even broke a record that Tom Brady had against MSU.

Patterson used his legs when he needed too but he couldn’t make anything of it as he was sacked three times to knock his rushing yards into the negatives. The way he was throwing the football though was impressive as he made some quick, deep, and tough throws. Along with the throws, he made some good reads to set up those throws as he looked comfortable with multiple RPO plays.

The offense finally seems to be intact and what offensive coordinator Josh Gattis dreamt of and it started with Patterson. This offense was supposed to help him greatly and fit his style of play. It started out rough, but now it’s starting to come together at the right time.

Running Back: C+

While passing the ball worked really well against MSU, running wasn’t as effective but it still did some damage. Hassan Haskins was the only running back to find the endzone as he finished with six carries for 13 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Zach Charbonnet had the best day of any running back, finishing with seven carries for 30 yards. Tru Wilson had the most carries with 10, but for 26 yards.

Wide Receiver: A+

There hasn’t been a better game for the wide receivers than yesterday as six different wide receivers caught a pass, and if you include the other positions the number increases to nine. Ronnie Bell was the star receiver, finishing with nine catches for 150 yards, a career-best for him. While he wasn’t able to get into the endzone, three other wide receivers were able too.

Donovan Peoples-Jones finished with four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. Nico Collins had three carries for 45 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Cornelius Johnson had one catch for 39 yards and a touchdown. Tarik Black had a nice 27-yard catch, while freshman Mike Sainristil had two good catches for 21 yards.

Tight End: B

Starting tight end Sean McKeon was a big help in the receiving game for Patterson has he had two big catches for 46 yards, while Nick Eubanks had one catch for five yards and a touchdown. The tight ends weren’t used often in the passing game but when they were they were effective. Their blocking was helpful as well.

Offensive Line: A-

Despite Patterson getting sacked three times and the rushing attack only putting up 83 total yards, the offensive line did a good job in giving Patterson time to throw the football. They also did a good job of blocking on some of the jet sweeps and wide runs/screen passes. They helped the offense do what they were able to do.

Now onto the defense and special teams…

Pages: 12

Michigan moves up in Week 13 AP Top 25 Poll

Michigan Football moves up in the latest AP Top 25 poll after their 44-10 win over Michigan State, check out where Michigan landed.

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The AP Top 25 will see some shakeup this week as multiple teams lost and some were even upset by unranked teams. Michigan though didn’t have any issues as they dominated Michigan State, winning 44-10 and with teams ahead of them losing, they ended up moving up in the polls.

With all that happened, how far would the Wolverines move up? Check out the latest AP poll below.

WEEK 13 AP TOP 25 POLL:

LSU
Ohio State
Clemson
Georgia
Alabama
Oregon
Utah
Oklahoma
Penn State
Florida
Minnesota
Michigan
Baylor
Wisconsin
Notre Dame
Auburn
Cincinnati
Memphis
Iowa
Boise State
SMU
Oklahoma State
Appalachian State
Texas A&M
Virginia Tech

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Ronnie Bell’s 2019 season showing he’s the true number one WR

Michigan football wide receiver Ronnie Bell had a career game against MSU today, showing he’s the top threat in the passing game.

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Ann Arbor, MI — Last year, freshman wide receiver Ronnie Bell wasn’t a part of the plans for Michigan as they planned to have wide receiver Tarik Black back from his season-ending injury from last season. That plan was derailed as he would have a similar injury happen to him before the season started, and he would miss the first half of the 2018 season.

With that said, Bell moved up in the depth chart, but he didn’t see much action until late against Nebraska when he caught a 56-yard touchdown pass. He would get involved with the offense minorly, only getting eight catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns.

Headed into 2019 the storyline at wide receiver was the same as it was headed into the 2018 season. The talk was mostly about Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Tarik Black and how those three could thrive under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ offense in his speed in space attack.

The addition of freshman wide receivers Giles Jackson, Cornelius Johnson, and Mike Sainristil also overshadowed Bell. He was lost in the mix to begin the season, but he certainly wasn’t forgotten about.

While he was quiet in the season opener, Bell had a solid game against Army, getting seven catches for 81 yards. It was after that game you started to see some kind of connection with quarterback Shea Patterson and Bell.

“Over the past few weeks, think we developed a certain kind of chemistry,” Patterson said. “I just think we play well together.” Patterson then credited Peoples-Jones, Bell, and all the other receivers for creating plays when he gets pushed out of the pocket and says it’s like backyard football at that point.

The connection between the two was huge today against MSU, as Bell finished with a career-best nine catches for 150 yards. Despite him putting up big numbers this week, he once again couldn’t find the endzone, something he hasn’t done this year despite being the top receiver on the team.

“That’s weird,” Patterson said. “I think he had 150 (yards) today. Just as far as his production and playmaking abilities, I think that makes up for not having a touchdown, but yea I didn’t even know that.”

While Patterson thought it was weird that Bell hasn’t seen the end zone yet, Bell knows he will get in there sooner or later.

“Yea, I don’t know if there hasn’t been a time yet where I came back to the sideline, like 20 seconds to go let me know like I still ain’t got in there,” Bell laughed. “It hurts every time, but it’s alright I’m a get in there.”

Bell is proving to not only the coaches but to the fans, especially the ones that turned their back on him after the drop against Penn State. He is more than just a depth wide receiver, he can be a top threat in this offense.

So far this season, Bell is the leading receiver with 36 catches for 610 yards. Collins is tied for second in catches with Peoples-Jones, but Collins has 25 for 484 yards and four touchdowns. Peoples-Jones has his 25 catches for 259 yards and four touchdowns. Black has 21 catches for 284 yards and a touchdown.

The way Bell has been able to get involved with this offense and rebound after that huge drop is something special. The same people who were booing Bell and sending horrible things his way, probably were quiet today and maybe even cheering for him.

Bell is having a career-best year so far, and it could certainly open the door in his final two years at Michigan. So while Peoples-Jones, Collins, and Black get all the attention, Bell is quietly having himself a season he will never forget. Another year under this offense will be huge for Bell and if he can continue the trend from this season, he could be the top threat once again in 2020.

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Michigan’s 44-10 win over MSU a glimpse into future of rivalry

Michigan football took down MSU 44-10 on Saturday. With how Michigan played and how MSU is right now, a trend could start in this series.

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Ann Arbor, MI —When Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach for the football program, he was brought in to help rebuild the Wolverines. One of the things that were expected out of him from fans was to start beating Michigan State and regain control of the rivalry.

The two previous Michigan football head coaches were 1-7 against MSU and suddenly it became a daunting task to try and upset the Spartans every season. It started out rough in 2015 as Michigan had the game won and all they had to do was punt the football away and possibly defend one more pass. We all know what happened then, a fumble that would be recovered by MSU and scored for a touchdown to win the game.

Harbaugh would get his first win against MSU in 2016 as Michigan won the game 32-23. 2017 a tsunami landed in Ann Arbor, as Michigan lost 14-10 in the rain-filled game that caused multiple turnovers for the team and Harbaugh was outcoached by MSU head coach Mark Dantonio. 2018 we saw a defensive battle where Michigan held MSU to just 94 yards of offense and won the game 21-7.

2019 was projected to be a Michigan win as the Spartans were on a downward trend, but the win was bigger than anyone expected, as Michigan won 44-10. The feeling after this game was different than the 2016 and 2018 victories.

The game wasn’t close like those two were, and MSU had a worse team in 2016 and a better team in 2018. MSU is having some issues on their side of the field, with multiple players transferring from the program, their winningest head coach in school history Dantonio being questioned as if he should be the head coach next year, and they have multiple seniors graduating.

MSU is going through its own rebuilding phase, and whether it is with Dantonio or not this team isn’t going to flip the script on this season and come out undefeated in 2020. If they are somehow able to, then kudos to Dantonio or whoever is the coach next season.

While MSU is in the mix of trying to rebuild its football program, Michigan is reloading at multiple positions despite seniors leaving after this year. Their head coach isn’t going anywhere, and players aren’t transferring out of Ann Arbor left and right.

Michigan’s victory today could be a glimpse of what the future holds of this rivalry between the two Michigan schools. Harbaugh is now 3-2 against MSU and he doesn’t plan on that slowing down anytime soon. Michigan has improved since the beginning of the year, and if they can keep the success they have this year into next and so on and so forth, this could be another long winning streak for the Wolverines.

While Harbaugh has his coaching staff and players, Dantonio is losing his players to other schools, and his coaching staff could be shaken up after this season and that includes Dantonio. How MSU is right now is how Michigan was in 2008.

This win wasn’t just a close win against a rival, it was a beatdown. A message was sent in this game. Harbaugh didn’t just show MSU that they weren’t winning this game, he was showing them to get used to this feeling because it’s going to last a long time as long as he’s around Ann Arbor.

Michigan has regained control of the rivalry between the two schools, and they don’t plan on giving the reigns back to MSU anytime soon. This two-game winning streak could extend for a while as long as Harbaugh is the head coach at Michigan.

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5 Takeaways from Michigan’s 44-10 win against Michigan State

Michigan football destroyed Michigan State today 44-10. What are the main five takeaways from the Wolverine’s big rivalry win over MSU?

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Ann Arbor, MI — After a bye week Michigan came into this game against Michigan State refreshed and ready to go. They didn’t play like it though to start the game as within the first five minutes the Wolverines had three penalties called on them. Michigan soon figured out the MSU offense and calmed themselves down to dismantle MSU, winning 44-10.

The offense had themselves a good day against a top 25 defense in MSU as quarterback Shea Patterson seemed to be insulted that MSU took the lead at first 7-0. He looked really well today as the offense was executing on all cylinders and the defense was able to force MSU to air it out as the running game wasn’t working for them.

Check out my five takeaways from the big Michigan victory in the annual in-state rivalry game.

1. The offense has finally bought into Speed in Space

To begin the season we saw some different plays from the Wolverines offense, but nothing was notable as a big change. There was more RPO involved, but nothing that looked like this was a different style of offense. Then after some poor execution, it seemed like Michigan was reverting back to last year’s offense where it was run-heavy.

Ever since the second half against Penn State, Michigan has seemed to have adjusted their offense to the kind offensive coordinator Josh Gattis wanted to have when arriving in Ann Arbor. Today against MSU, we saw the offense look really different and knock out some solid plays against a top 25 defense in MSU, putting up 467 total offensive yards.

Patterson has been playing some good football lately and today was another solid performance by the senior, going 24/33 for 384 yards and four touchdowns. He has transformed as the season progressed as his fumbling issues are behind him, along with the nagging injuries. Patterson has finally been looking like his old self from last season. This was his first-ever 300+ yard passing game at Michigan, something people were expecting out of him this season.

2. The Kicker battle is over

The season-long battle at kicker between Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody seems to have finally finished. While the position started with a rotation between the two kickers, it would then move to Moody having the job for two games straight. After going 1-3 on field goals against Penn State, Notre Dame, and Maryland though, the job looked to be back open as Nordin finished the Maryland game as the kicker and was 2-2.

During the bye week, a big question would be if the rotation would return or if Nordin was able to pull ahead over Moody due to his recent struggles. That question was answered in the first half as Nordin was out for both extra-point attempts and he was the kicker for the 28-yard field goal attempt, which he made.

It seems like Nordin is now the Michigan kicker for the rest of the season unless he starts to struggle, then Moody could be put back in. Nordin finished the game going 3/3 on field goals, his longest from 49 yards out along with being 5/5 on extra-point attempts.

3. Ronnie Bell looks like the number one wide receiver

Despite receiving a lot of unneeded hate after dropping the game-tying touchdown against Penn State, wide receiver Ronnie Bell has exploded onto the scene as a clear number one receiver in this offense this season. All the talk before the season was about the trio of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins, and Tarik Black at wide receiver. There was the chatter of Bell having an impact, but nobody expected this kind of result.

Today against MSU, Bell led the team in catches and receiving yards, finishing with nine for 150 yards. So far this season, Bell has 35 catches for 610 yards and while those numbers aren’t earth-shattering they are still impressive for a player who was looked at like the number four option heading into the season.

This offense uses the speed of the wide receivers effectively and Bell is possibly the fastest wide receiver on the team. Collins is a big man, and Black and Peoples-Jones are quick but don’t have the type of separation that Bell can have. 2020 with these four wide receivers could be really special as the team seems to have grasped the offense Gattis has tried to implement.

4. Jim Harbaugh finally gets back-to-back wins over Michigan State

For the first time since 2006-2007, Michigan has won back-to-back games against MSU. From 2008-2011 MSU went on a four-game winning streak. Michigan got a win in 2012, but then MSU went on a three-game win streak from 2013-2015. Since 2015 when Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor, the away team has won each game and neither team won back-to-back games.

That changes this year and now Harbaugh has a winning record over the Spartans as he is 3-2 in this rivalry game. Fans were tired of being beaten by MSU and Harbaugh was brought in to regain control of the rivalry, along with the Ohio State one but that hasn’t been done yet.

MSU is in rough shape for their future, with multiple players transferring, multiple seniors graduating and with their head coach Mark Dantonio on the hot seat possibly, Michigan might be in the driver seat with this rivalry for the next few years. This two-game winning streak could be the beginning of another long one for the Wolverines.

5. While it wasn’t 94 yards, Michigan’s defense contained MSU’s offense

Last year, the big talk after the game besides the pre-game antics by both teams, was how the Michigan defense held MSU to just 94 yards of offense. MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke didn’t play well at all and seemed to be playing injured. This year Lewerke was healthy and despite him playing better, MSU wasn’t able to move the chains besides on two drives against the Wolverines.

Lewerke finished the game going 17/30 for 166 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, along with 13 carries for 12 yards. The rushing attack for MSU couldn’t get the ball moving either, as the team finished with 54 rushing yards on 30 carries. The defense also blocked a punt in the fourth quarter from linebacker Khaleke Hudson to help set up a touchdown from Patterson to Collins to put Michigan up 34-10.

Michigan overall held MSU to 220 yards of offense and while that isn’t overly impressive, the two interceptions and the blocked punt were huge as they gave Michigan more time with the football. The defense did allow two solid drives by the Spartans, but on the second one, the Wolverines didn’t break as they held MSU to a field goal. After Michigan figured out the MSU offense after the touchdown, they were able to contain it for a majority of the game.

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Halftime Analysis of Michigan State vs No. 15 Michigan

It’s halftime for Michigan football as they are up 17-7 against Michigan State at the break. What’s working and what isn’t so far?

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Ann Arbor, MI — Coming off their bye week last week, Michigan had an extra week to prepare for the Michigan State Spartans. That extra week seemed to have not been enough for the Wolverines as they started the game poorly with three penalties in less than five minutes. They could clean their act up as the game progressed, but it wasn’t a pretty start for the Wolverines.

After both teams traded punts, Michigan would get a drive going and land at the 40-yard line on fourth down. After an incomplete pass from quarterback Shea Patterson to wide receiver Nico Collins, MSU would get the football and have a solid drive led by their quarterback Brian Lewerke.

Lewerke would find wide receiver Cody White on fourth and one as he would go 29 yards before being tackled at the one. The next play Lewerke found fullback Max Rosenthal on a one-yard touchdown pass as MSU took the 7-0 lead.

Michigan wouldn’t let the score bother them as quarterback Shea Patterson started going on a tear as the offense opened up the playbook for their RPO. Big catches by wide receivers Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ronnie Bell helped move the ball down the field. Patterson went 4/4 on the drive for 48 yards as running back Hassan Haskins would finish the drive for a one-yard touchdown run as Michigan ties the game up 7-7.

Personal fouls by MSU killed their next drive as two on one play pushed them back and despite getting the first down, they would eventually punt back to Michigan. So far there have been three unsportsmanlike/personal penalties in this game, three by MSU, one by Michigan. This game is usually chippy so those numbers aren’t a surprise for either team.

Michigan would get the ball at their own two-yard line and in five minutes and 39 seconds and 12 plays later they would score as Patterson found tight end Nick Eubanks for the touchdown as Michigan took the 14-7 lead. Patterson made some nice reads on that drive, running the football and finding the correct man on the RPO’s.

MSU would stall out on offense again and Michigan would continue to strike. Patterson found Bell for a huge 42-yard catch to put Michigan inside the red zone. Michigan couldn’t find the end zone though as kicker Quinn Nordin would make the 28-yard field goal attempt as Michigan expanded their lead to 17-7. Nordin has been kicking every extra point and field goal so far today, so it looks like he has won the kicking job against Jake Moody.

POSITIVES:

Michigan’s offense started slow but have been using different types of RPO plays and plays where men are in motion. That is something we haven’t seen this season as that looks like some of Josh Gattis’ “speed in space” offense he was trying to bring to Michigan. Patterson has been playing great in it so far, going 14/21 for 182 yards and a touchdown along with three carries for eight yards.
Michigan has done well in keeping the MSU run game in check. Ignoring Lewerke’s runs, Michigan has held MSU to just 23 rushing yards on 12 attempts. MSU had some success last week running the rock but that isn’t the case so far this week.

NEGATIVES:

MSU is doing well at running RPO against the Wolverines defense. Michigan started to figure things out, but it has still been a threat to the Wolverines defense. Lewerke is 6/10 for 79 yards and a touchdown along with five carries for 16 yards. So far as he seems to be leading this offense down the field.
Penalties have been an early problem for Michigan as they had three in less than five minutes to start the game. So far they have had four for 41 yards and they have hurt the Wolverines greatly. They have improved at discipline in the past few weeks, but these are not what you want in this big rivalry game.

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2019 Michigan Football Week 12 Rooting Guide

Michigan Football takes on Michigan State on Saturday in their annual rivalry game. What other games should you focus on this week?

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With a week off, Michigan football is back this week. While they have a huge game against Michigan State, there are other big games happening around the country. Michigan fell a spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings to 15 and they will need some help to get moving back up on the rankings.

There are four games this week that Michigan fans should pay attention too as they could help Michigan in the long run. Check out which four below.

Game 1: Indiana vs. No. 9 Penn State

This is for the Big Ten Championship hopes here. Penn State suffered their first loss last week to Minnesota, and the Wolverines need them to lose two more times this season. Indiana is up next for Penn State and they won’t be an easy win.

Indiana is ranked inside the AP polls and while they don’t matter anymore, a win over Penn State could put them into the CFP Top 25, and that means if Michigan wins over Michigan State this week, it will be an even bigger and tougher game next week against Indiana. Indiana looking tough means if Michigan beats them they look good too.

Root for: Indiana

Game 2: No. 4 Georiga vs. No. 12 Auburn

Another week where Auburn is featured on this list. Georgia is on pace to make the SEC title game, and a win over Auburn could push them over Clemson at the number three spot. Auburn is high for two losses, and a third should knock them out of the top 15.

Auburn getting out of Michigan’s way would be nice and they could even see a fourth loss to Alabama to close the season out. This week though, Georgia is the team you need to root for here.

Root for: No. 4 Georgia

Game 3: No. 8 Minnesota vs. No. 20 Iowa

Minnesota jumped Michigan after beating Penn State last week. Would Iowa defeating Minnesota do the same thing? No. Iowa has three losses and lost to Michigan earlier this season. Michigan looks stronger if Iowa wins so that only helps Michigan’s case for a solid bowl game later in the season.

Root for: No. 20 Iowa

Game 4: No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Baylor

An undefeated team ahead of Michigan that has a chance of losing this week is Baylor. The two teams here most likely will play for the conference championship in a few weeks, but this game means more now as it has playoff implications with it. Baylor needs this win to show they are a threat, while Oklahoma needs this win to show that one loss doesn’t mean they are out of it.

Michigan would love it if both could lose, but the stronger team in its path is Baylor. Baylor losing will knock them down a few spots, and enough to fall below Michigan and out of their way. Michigan could move up big this week, and a loss to Baylor helps that even more.

Root for: No. 10 Oklahoma

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What Michigan State is saying about Michigan before their matchup

Michigan football takes on Michigan State this week, check out what the Spartan’s have been saying about the Wolverines before Saturday.

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Last year before the Michigan vs. Michigan State game, MSU had its players walk together with their arms locked down the field, and an altercation happened between them and former Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, and current linebacker Josh Uche as MSU head coach Mark Dantonio was seen smiling as it happened.

There was lots of talk after the game about the incident and both sides took jabs at one another. This year though, the talk has been quiet and quite respectful from both ends. Dantonio even said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was a Hall of Fame football coach. While Harbaugh praised Dantonio with his way of motivating players.

Besides saying Harbaugh is a Hall of Fame head coach, Dantonio had more to say about him and the Michigan football team.

“I think he does a great job,” Dantonio said. “I think he’s truly committed to every single play on the football field. He’s going to think outside the box. … You have seen him do different things in the past that create adjustments for you, and then you’re going to have to adjust within that football game. Is extremely competitive, intense. But you know, I think most coaches are.”

There hasn’t been much trash talk between the two schools this year, as both schools seem to want to move on from last year’s antics.

“I’ve chosen just to try and be respectful towards the rivalry and I sort of take the high road,” Dantonio said. “And, I think our players have tried to do that, as well. I’m sure there’s something going on always, but that’s the nature of this game a little bit too.”

Dantonio knows how intense the rivalry is between the two schools and how much the Spartans build it up in East Lansing.

“You’re going to compete against them in everything that we do, whether it’s recruits in the state or everything on the field, or on the basketball court or whatever it is, the hockey rink,” Dantonio said. “It’s the way this is built here.”

The players even know it as safety David Dowell added to what Dantonio had to say about the Wolverines.

“The one thing we talk about, even in the offseason, is do something every day to beat Michigan,” Dowell said.

Quarterback Brian Lewerke also spoke about the Wolverines as he’s played them three times already, and has been on both sides of the spectrum.

“Every game has had its ups and downs,” Lewerke said. “We’ve had games where we played well and games where we played bad and you kind of take what each gives you, I guess, and try and play well every time you go into the game.”

“It probably wasn’t until the first time I played back in ’16,” Lewerke said. “In ’15 I wasn’t part of that crazy game. I didn’t travel and didn’t really play in it, so I wasn’t really quite sure yet. But the first time you get game experience, that’s when it really hits you.”

Lewerke wants to finish his career with a winning record against Michigan, as he is 2-2 during his time in East Lansing.

“Obviously, a win would be incredible,” Lewerke said. “I’m sure that’s what everyone in our senior class would say coming into the last one. So that’s what we want to be able to do is get a win.”

Michigan takes on Michigan State at noon on Saturday in Ann Arbor and the game will be broadcasted on FOX.

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3 Things to Watch for Against Michigan State

Michigan football takes on Michigan State this week as the in-state rivalry gets renewed. Check out which three things you should watch for.

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Michigan is coming off a bye week this week as they got extra time to prepare for Michigan State before they play on Saturday. The battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy will happen once again and this year the story is different for both teams.

Michigan is coming in 7-2 with their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes slim, they could still reach a New Year’s Six Bowl. Michigan State is coming in 4-5 with their bowl game chances up in the air, and coming off a 37-34 loss to Illinois after being up 28-3 stings even more.

Check out my three things to watch this week below.

1. What kind of Brian Lewerke will the Wolverines face?

Last year against Michigan, MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke had the worst game of his career, going 5/25 for 66 yards. His throws were off and he didn’t seem to have his kind of touch he usually has. That was partially due to a shoulder injury that he played through, this year that injury isn’t there and Lewerke is playing well.

So far this season, Lewerke has thrown for 2,012 yards for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with 265 rushing yards and a touchdown. Lewerke started the season great but has been on a downward trend recently, but he could certainly still turn it around against his rival.

Michigan doesn’t know what version of Lewerke they will take on this week, but they better prepare for his best as if they doubt Lewerke can do certain things, he can surprise them and attack with ease. In this game, you can’t doubt anybody and Lewerke will want to help get his team closer to a bowl game, and beating Michigan in the process is just icing on the cake.

2. Michigan must get the ground game going

The biggest thing that the Wolverines must do on offense this week is to get the ground game working. Michigan State has the 24th ranked defense, 16th when it comes to the rushing defense. Michigan might have some trouble getting things moving against the Spartan’s defense, but they will have to find some cracks in the foundation if they want to win this game.

Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie is already suspended for a failed drug test, so his presence in the run defense won’t be there but that doesn’ mean it will be a cakewalk. The Wolverines will have running backs, Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet to deal some damage to the tough Spartan’s run defense.

Michigan has had struggles running the football this year, but recently it’s been their strength, putting up 303 yards on Notre Dame three weeks ago. If Michigan can get this ground game working, it will open more doors for the offense.

3. Who starts at kicker?

Michigan has had a kicker battle all year long. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said both kickers, Jake Moody and Quinn Nordin, were in a rotation to begin the season. As the season progressed though, we saw Moody be the lone kicker for two straight games, hinting that he won the job. After a missed kick against Maryland though, Nordin was the one on the field.

Nordin would finish the game as the kicker, and heading into the bye week the question would be who starts at kicker, or if the job was back on a rotation basis. Whoever comes out first to kick a field goal or extra point will be interesting, and if that same kicker comes out for the second attempt, you gotta believe they won the job. If the other kicker comes out for kick two, the rotation could be back.

The kicker is an important position and one that needs to have some consistency. This late into the season the position should already have been figured out, but with miscues and struggles it hasn’t been. Will it be figured out this week against MSU?