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Posted on by Jeff Cummins

๐‘ณ๐‘ถ๐‘ถ๐‘ฒ๐‘ฐ๐‘ต๐‘ฎ ๐‘ฉ๐‘จ๐‘ช๐‘ฒ: ๐‘ด๐‘ฐ๐‘ช๐‘ฏ๐‘ฐ๐‘ฎ๐‘จ๐‘ต ๐‘ฝ๐‘บ. ๐‘ด๐‘ฐ๐‘ช๐‘ฏ๐‘ฐ๐‘ฎ๐‘จ๐‘ต ๐‘บ๐‘ป๐‘จ๐‘ป๐‘ฌ, 2006

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Rivalry Games

This weekโ€™s series looks back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State. The first installment takes us back to 2006. The previous season had been a disappointment for Wolverine fans, but 2006 turned out to be a renaissance year. A big win over Notre Dame served notice that Michigan was back, setting the stage for a memorable season.

This series has mostly been about smash-mouth football. However, every now and then, someone tries something new. Michigan State head coach John L. Smith was in his fourth season, and his teams ran a spread offense. By contrast, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr used a multiple offense. However, the Wolverines leaned heavily on a time-tested formula, relying on a stingy defense and the running of Mike Hart behind a dominant offensive line. On this day, Michiganโ€™s reliable formula worked to perfection. As the game unfolded, Michigan used that balance to set up Chad Henneโ€™s first touchdown pass to Adrian Arrington. This play put the Wolverines in front. In 2006, once the Michigan defense was handed a lead, the Wolverines were usually in pretty good shape.

With a 7-0 lead, Michigan continued to pound away with Hart running the ball, almost lulling the Spartans to sleep. After repeated runs, Henne found Mario Manningham wide open for a 41-yard touchdown pass, and the rout was on.

From that pont, Michigan cruised to a 31-13 win that was most dominant than the score would indicate. The Wolverines were never seriously threatened, and this game set them on a collision course with Ohio State.

This and other great content can be found at newyorkwolverine.com

About Jeff Cummins

Jeff Cummins has written about football since 1998, including nine years with The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He frequently contributes feature stories to Touchdown Illustrated, an insert in the national college football game program, published by University Sports Publications, and he has also written the official pregame stories for the game programs of the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship game. He has written the preview story for the official program for the NHL Winter Classic at MIchigan Stadium, and numerous college basketball feature stories for College Hoops Illustrated, another game program insert published by University Sports Publications. In addition, he has written stories about theater, music, physical therapy, and newsletter marketing. Heโ€™s an avid Michigan football fan and long-time New York Jets season ticket holder, and he can be reached at jeffcummins@optonline.net.