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Michigan 33 MSU 37 – Game 8 Recap

GAME 8 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS

Final Score: 33-37, MSU by 4 over Michigan
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 3.5 (-7.5)
CD Projection: Michigan by 10 (-14)

FIVE FACTORS

GAME 8 RECAP @ MSU

It was incomplete. All of it. Any facet of this game that you look at, there is a lot more good to talk about than there is bad. But, Michigan didn’t finish. The game plans on both sides were solid, but didn’t adjust once the Wolverines were up 16 in the 3rd quarter and MSU had to empty the clip.

Offensively, Michigan got off to a rocket start by surprising everyone with a first-half passing clinic. Andrel Anthony burst onto the scene with a 93-yard touchdown, and Cade McNamara was pin-point accurate.

When the Wolverines pushed it to a 30-14 lead, I assumed Michigan would salt this away. The only questions was whether Haskins or Corum would be the one hammering. Somehow, that didn’t happen. This was the first negative EPA run performance of 2021, and it deserves a much closer look. There would be a lot on this film to be excited about offensively, if Paul B. was on the bus back to Ann Arbor. But…he ain’t.

It was sickening to listen to the FOX broadcast team highlight Mel Tucker’s pregame quote: “…body blows…In the championship round, we think they’ll flinch…” It was sickening because it was happening in front of our eyes. Defenders got out of the run gaps, and Kenneth Walker made us all pay. Interceptions were there to be had, yet hit the turf instead.

When a 2nd half lead evaporates, I always want to see under the hood on defense first. Regardless of the detail, the Wolverines could not limit the big plays the way Indiana and Nebraska did previously to the Spartans.

On special teams, Jake Moody gets a huge tip of my cap. He was 4/4 on field goals, including repeatedly hitting them at the end of the 1st half when Mel Tucker tried to ice him with all three timeouts. Additionally, the MSU return game was satisfied with Fair Catches and Touchbacks. Brad Robbins mishandled a punt snap (yikes!), but the defense managed to cover for him.

AJ Henning was solid returning the ball, but really hurt field position in the 2nd quarter when he let a punt bounce and roll. Still work to do in all three phases.

There will be a lot of bluster and big talking this week. Michigan needs to get right against Indiana and play well in all 3 phases. No Michigan team should ever shrivel in the face of adversity. Still a lot to play for. We’ll see how this version of the Wolverines manages to dig deep. Onward!

2021-08-MSU-37-UM-33-Final-StatsDownload
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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1980

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

The fifth and final installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back to 1980, and one of the most memorable games in the rivalry’s history. The Wolverines had stubbed their toes twice early in the season, but after a loss to South Carolina, the team started to click.

In the first quarter, Marion Body intercepted a pass from John Leister, and the Wolverines were in business. John Wangler found Anthony Carter for a 22-yard completion to the Michigan State 1-yard line, and Lawrence Ricks scored to give Michigan a 10-0 lead.

But, this being the rivalry it is, that lead wasn’t safe for long. Leister scored on a 7-yard run to tie the score at 10-10, and after Michigan’s Ali Haji-Sheikh and Michigan State’s Morten Andersen traded field goals, the teams went into their respective locker rooms tied 13-13 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Haji-Sheike nailed a 26-yard field goal, but was roughed on the play. Michigan made the rare decision to take points off the board, and it worked out, as Wangler and Carter connected for a 5-yard touchdown pass to give Michigan a 20-13 lead.

Michigan State responded, intercepting a Wangler pass, which led to another Andersen field goal. The teams then traded touchdowns before Michigan linebacker Andy Cannavino intercepted a Leister pass to thwart a Spartan threat, and the Wolverines held on for a 27-23 win.

Michigan used the victory as a springboard, going undefeeated the rest of the season, and winning both the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl, where Bo Schembechler’s men overwhelmed Washington, 23-6.

But much of the momentum for the team’s success came from its win over Michigan State, in a game that was immortalized in the 1983 movie, “The Big Chill.”

Thanks to youtube poster RxWolverine for the attached highlight film. As always, we own nothing and this film and blog post are intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1964

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

The fourth installment of this year’s series taking a look back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back to 1964. The Vietnam War hadn’t started in earnest yet, and only months before, The Beatles had appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. It was still early in the 1960s, but change was definitely in the air.

But that change wasn’t present at Spartan Stadium when the Michigan Wolverines faced their in-state rivals from Michigan State in 1964. The ’64 Michigan team remains one of the most underrated teams in the school’s illustrious football history. Michigan won the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl, where the Wolverines trounced an overmatched Oregon State team. Only a failed two-point conversion against Purdue prevented the Wolverines from earning a perfect season, and possibly winning the national championship.

In fact, one unique aspect of the 1964 season was that Michigan enjoyed a perfect record on the road, while losing to Purdue at home. But even in grand seasons, victory isn’t easy to come by on the road, particularly against Michigan State. When Larry Lukasik kicked a 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Spartans extended their lead to 10-3, and it was getting late early for the Wolverines. With the game on the line, Michigan marched 73 yards, capped off by a 5-yard scoring pass from Bob Timberlake to fullback Dick Sygar to cut the deficit to one point. Michigan’s subsequent attempt to take the lead was foiled when Mel Anthony was stopped short of the goal line, leaving the score 10-9, Michigan State.

But the Michigan defense came up with a big stop, forcing a Michigan State punt that UM returned to the Spartans’ 41-yard line. On the fourth play of the drive, Sygar took a pitch and threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to John Henderson for the lead. Timberlake then connected with Steve Smith for the two-point conversion. Michigan then stopped MSU on four plays, and held on for a 17-10 victory.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any video of this game readily available, so we’ll have to settle for the attached box score, with thanks to the Bentley Library.

1964_UM_MSU_StatsDownload