Paul Bunyan is staying in Ann Arbor.

Wins over Michigan built Mark Dantonio’s Michigan State football program. Perhaps it’s right that a thudding loss to Michigan will be the punctuation on Danonio’s final chapter.

After playing for their season for about seven minutes, Michigan State reverted to their previous form, the one that led to them entering today’s game with a 4-5 record. Michigan countered an early Max Rosenthal touchdown catch and the Wolverines were off and running.

A 98-yard touchdown drive followed.

Then a field goal drive.

Then another touchdown drive.

The refs could have ended the game right there. Unfortunately for the Spartans they didn’t.

Michigan State managed a field goal to draw closer at 24-10.  They needed six. On the ensuing drive the Spartans forced Michigan into a 3rd-and-20. It was a small crack opened in the door of hope. Michigan slammed it shut with a sweat-free conversion. A gain of 27 and the route was back on.

It doesn’t matter what the final score was. It’s irrelevant. (Michigan won by a S— ton). Statistics don’t matter. (Shea Patterson became the first Michigan quarterback to ever pass for 300 yards on MSU and Ronnie Bell turned the game into a track meet).

It’s not about the numbers. It’s about the message.

In many ways this game was a microcosm of what has happened at Michigan State the last few years. Too few playmakers. Too few fresh ideas. Not enough energy or enthusiasm. After a decade plus of domination, the bill was eventually going to come due. It had to. Programs with the prestige and pocketbooks of Michigan don’t stay down long. And when it comes to getting back at Michigan State, Michigan was absolutely dying to get back up.

At one point in the fourth quarter Michigan defensive back Lavert Hill intercepted a Brian Lewerke pass. Receiver Cody White went to tackle Hill and was stiff-armed into the Wolverine sideline. Then, instead of continuing to advance the ball upfield, Hill stepped out of bounds to literally flex on White. It was a statement.

“I don’t need these yards. I need you to know I own you.”

Hate to the point of stupidity. It used to drive MSU football. Now it’s on the other sideline.

The attitude Michigan State used to rise to their once-elite status was nowhere to be found. Former players felt it.

U gotta be kidding me. Gotta play wit some heart at some point. Never let a team disrespect u especially these arrogant bums smh

— Isaiah Lewis (@showtimezo9) November 16, 2019

We was so different…. smh.

— DeAnthony Arnett (@DeAnthonyArnett) November 16, 2019

Those two were far from the only ones. Former defensive tackle Lawrence Thomas tweeted, “Where is the [EXPLETIVE] pride???”

It wasn’t on the Michigan State sideline that’s for sure. Michigan laid the big hits. Michigan made the big plays. Michigan got a taunting penalty up two touchdowns. Hell, Michigan even ran a trick play. In a rivalry that has been dominated by conversations of who the “little brother” is, there was no debate who was bigger and meaner in Ann Arbor this afternoon. The script has flipped in this rivalry, there’s no doubt about that.

Michigan State was its usually sloppy self on offense. With a chance to get back into the game to start the fourth quarter, AJ Arcuri false started on 4th and one. Dantonio elected to then punt. That punt would never truly leave Jake Hartbarger’s foot, because it was blocked by Khaleke Hudson. One play later Nico Collins was dancing in the end zone and on MSU’s grave.

A self-inflicted mistake quickly compounded by poor football. That’s the new identity of Michigan State football.

Tempers flared late, as they always do in this game. Instead of looking the part of the bully laughing off a rival’s frustration, Michigan State looked foolish and cheap. Taking dirty shots because they couldn’t win on the field. Jacob Panasiuk was ejected for one such hit in the fourth quarter. That used to be Michigan in this rivalry. Not anymore.

Up 37-7, with 2:33 left in the game, Michigan wasn’t ready for the game to end. With their starters still in, the Wolverines were throwing deep for another touchdown. In their eyes, the Spartans hadn’t been beaten down enough. Ten plus years of frustration, all coming out over the span of 60 minutes of football. The bullied had yet again become the bully.

Mark Dantonio has a lot of questions to answer after this game and season. He’ll have to come up with some pretty good responses if he wants to try and scrape back any of the fans’ good will his program has been hemorrhaging for years.

In 2007 when Michigan running back Mike Hart unwittingly flipped the rivalry on its head with two little words, Mark Dantonio’s response was simple and tough.

“Pride comes before the fall.”

It’s the attitude that built his Michigan State program on. And now, more than 12 years later, after years of stagnant offense and no changes, after refusing to fire any of his friends in lieu of hiring outside help, after mastering the college football defense and then refusing to acknowledge it had been figured out, after not cashing in on recruiting, after climbing to the top and assuming it would stay that way just because that’s the way it was, after all of that, it’s that very same attitude that has brought the program back to its knees.

Pride comes before the fall.

Pride came.

The fall is here.

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Michigan State went into the Big House looking to salvage a disappointing season. The Spartans came out fast, picking up a 4th-down stop and converting the good field position into a 7-0 lead.

Then Michigan woke up. The Wolverines reeled off three consecutive scoring drives, with a 12 play 98-yard jaunt smashed in the middle. The refs may have well ended this game there, because that was more than a gut punch for MSU. It was a swift kick in the you-know-wheres.

Here are some thoughts on the first half and an outlook for the next two quarters.

• MSU is using a new offensive line (L-R): Arcuri, Duplain, Samac, Campbell, Reid. I quite like most of this group and they got some good movement to start the game. That hasn’t been the case since and absolutely has to change.
• MSU’s secondary has not played well and lost Josiah Scott on the second play of the game. He got kneed in the chin and was being evaluated for a concussion. Michigan has been able to find easy space in the secondary today. I’d venture to guess that will continue to be a problem.
• The secondary is, flatly, terrible at tackling on the perimeter. Michigan is attacking the edges and the MSU defensive backs have been poor in response.
• Lewereke likes so/so thus far. He’s making good decisions in the zone read game and threw a really nice ball to Cody White to get MSU down to the one yard line on their first TD drive.
• I love that Michigan State plays this game with an edge, but their penalties have been absolutely killer. Two personal fouls cost MSU a prime scoring opportunity and another moved Michigan into the red zone on their first touchdown drive. That has to be corralled.
• Michigan State had a bad drop by a receiver. Drink!
• The Michigan offense is out-scheming the MSU defense. That’s incredibly embarrassing for the Spartan staff. Michigan killed MSU to the perimeter just like Indiana did. The Spartans took too long to adjust. Then UofM got rolling and started kicking MSU’s butt in the middle.
• Michigan State has been lifeless once the emotion left and the teams settled in.
• This game is super danger zone right now, if it isn’t already over. Michigan is making a statement today. Michigan State is rolling over.
• MSU has to score on their first possession of the second half.
• Michigan State needs to be less conservative on offense. They played completely on their heels in the second quarter. MSU needs to push the ball downfield on offense and be more aggressive on defense.
• Michigan State has to win this game in the margins. Michigan is better than Michigan State. MSU can’t get dumb penalties. They can’t drop passes. They need to take advantage of advantageous situations. They haven’t done so at all this game and that’s why they’re down ten points.

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