The fifth and final installment of the look back at the Michigan-Michigan State series urges sobriety. Let’s be honest, after three consecutive shutouts, who isn’t congratulating themselves over the success of the current Michigan team? You can admit it, after three shutouts in a row, you think you’re doing better at your own job, your own life is better, the future looks brighter, and the team is doing so well that it’s tempting to think it’s all your doing.

Well, now back to reality. When Mark Dantonio first took the reigns of the Michigan State program, most of us realized that Michigan suddenly had a rivalry on its hands again. We expected the first MSU win in 2008, after Mike Hart had made the ill-advised “Little Brother” remark the year before. In 2009, we weren’t all that surprised, because the game was played in East Lansing. Surely, 2010 would be the season when Michigan would restore order.

Except it didn’t happen. Both teams came into the game undefeated, but when it was over, only one team was celebrating, and they weren’t wearing Maize and Blue. Oh, Michigan had its chances. The Wolverines took the lead twice, the second time on a 12-yard scoring pass from Denard Robinson to Martell Webb, and it was easy to think that the Wolverines were about to set everything right with the world.

Unfortunately, the Spartans came back every time. Following Webb’s touchdown, Michigan State marched 78 yards in seven plays, capped by a 41-yard Le’Veon Bell touchdown run. After that, Michigan State gradually built its lead, ending the game with a 34-17 victory. A victory marked by Michigan State’s defense. Defense, something that had once been the very hallmark of Michigan football! Now, it was obvious that Michigan had some trouble with the guys in green, and the trouble wasn’t going anyway any time soon.

Michigan changed coaches. Brady Hoke tried, but over four years, Mark Dantonio’s Spartans thoroughly dominated our guys. Suddenly, we got a fiery coach, Jim Harbaugh, and everything seems to be pointing in the right direction again.
But still, I’m inclined to urge caution. Yes, Michigan should win this game, and under Harbaugh, the Wolverines have rediscovered many old Michigan traditions, from old school black shoes, to helmet stickers, a darker blue, to a true maize (not highlighter yellow) to the mid-1970s white pants, and most of all, to stout defense and a competitive fire. It’s tempting to puff out our chests, but again I urge caution.

Why so cautious? Well, somewhere, the owner of this website has a video he took from the minutes following that 2010 game. It’s about three or four minutes long, and during that time, you see what seems like an endless stream of players in white jerseys with green numerals, running up the tunnel at Michigan Stadium, high-fiving well wishers while chants of “Go Green, Go White” fill the air. Sure, it’s tempting to think those days are behind us, just as it’s tempting during a bull run on Wall Street to think that America will never have to endure another depression. But the fact is that Michigan State takes the rivalry seriously, too, and their players are also very hungry for victory.

Bottom line, I think Michigan will win this year, but I’d urge people not to take anything for granted. Humility, loyalty and hard work go a long way. Some day, maybe they’ll take our guys all the way again.

No video? This time, I won’t post the usual video thing from Youtube. Phil has the video I referred to earlier, and if he’s daring enough, he can post it with this blog. It’s painful enough that it’s sure to fire up anyone with a cotton pickin’ maize and blue heart!
GO BLUE!

The fourth installment of this year’s series looking back at the Michigan-Michigan State football series takes us to 1968. The 1960s were a period of change for America, and Michigan was no exception. Gone were the days when the Maize & Blue would run roughshod over opponents just by showing up. In the 1960s, students in Ann Arbor were more likely to be interested in protests than in football, and other than 1964 and 1969, there wasn’t really a lot of great football for them to watch in Michigan Stadium.

But few Wolverine fans and alums remember much about 1968. By the ’68 season, coach Bump Elliott had amassed a roster that included running back Ron Johnson, offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf, defensive back Tom Curtis and tight end Jim Mandich, all future NFL stars, as well as Tom Goss, who went on to become Michigan’s athletic director in the late 1990s. After losing the opener to California, the Wolverines rallied for victories over Duke and Navy, setting the scene for their Big Ten opener against the Spartans, who had won the last three times they had met the Wolverines.

In front of 102,785 people at Michigan Stadium, the young Wolverines weren’t about to lose to the Spartans for a fourth consecutive year. With weapons like Johnson and Mandich, the Wolverines could do more than just trade blows with the Spartans. The Wolverines gained 420 yards in the game, with Johnson carrying the ball 19 times for 152 yards and a 38-yard touchdown run.

But by the fourth quarter, Michigan State had taken the lead, and that’s when Johnson did his most important work, grinding through the Spartan defense for short but critical gains, drawing the Spartans’ attention away from the pass and allowing Mandich to get open for a touchdown pass of more than 50 yards from quarterback Dennis Brown. Fullback Garvie Craw finished off the score when he ran for a 25-yard touchdown, and the Wolverines captured the bragging rights with a 28-14 win. The season ended with a loss to Ohio State, but Elliott had led Michigan to an 8-2 record in his final season. As the years have gone by, many Michigan fans have developed a new appreciation for Elliott, a loyal Wolverine who left Bo Schembechler a roster stocked with talented football players, much as Brady Hoke did for Jim Harbaugh. In time, maybe people will have a greater appreciation for Hoke, who loved Michigan every bit as much as Elliott did.

Many thanks to the producers of “Hail to the Victors”, which was released in 1995, and to Youtube poster WolverineHistorian. As always, I own nothing related to this content, and I’m sharing the video below strictly for the enjoyment of Michigan fans.

The third installment of this year’s look back at the Michigan-Michigan State series takes us to 2013. Brady Hoke was in his second year at the helm of the Michigan football program, and in his first year, the Wolverines had beaten two of their three main rivals. But Michigan State remained a tricky puzzle to solve.

Denard Robinson was in his final season as Michigan’s quarterback, but this game was about defense. With Michigan State’s corners playing coverage so tight that an interference penalty could be called on almost any pass play; the Wolverines’ receivers had a brutal time getting open. But this time, Greg Mattison coached Michigan’s defense, so the Wolverines had their own defensive mastermind matching wits with Michigan State, resulting in a classic defensive struggle.

Still, the Wolverines showed flashes. Fitzgerald Toussaint had a less-than-spectacular day running the ball, but he exploded for one 38-yard gain deep into Spartan territory. And then there was Mister Clutch himself, Drew Dileo, who caught four passes for 92 yards, none more important than his catch late in the game that took the ball down to the Michigan State 22-yard line, setting up a 38-yard field goal by Brendan Gibbons with nine seconds left, which gave Michigan the 12-10 win in a game that certainly wasn’t pretty, but was a much-needed win against Michigan State, which had its with Michigan for the four years preceding that game. At the time, many people thought this meant that Michigan was on its way back. The ensuing seasons proved them wrong. That win over Michigan State was the last time Michigan would look that good that late in the season under Hoke.
The game also featured some interesting subplots. Michigan left offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and Michigan State defensive end William Gholston had waged a fierce personal battle for several years, one of the nastiest matchups in the long history of this series. Gholston had been tormenting Lewan for the past two years, but in 2012, Lewan had the last laugh. The game also marked the 900th win in the history of Michigan football. Here’s hoping the Wolverines reach 1,000 wins quickly under Jim Harbaugh!

Thanks to the Big Ten Network and Youtube poster Michigan Football Highlights for the following highlight film. As always, I own nothing, the following video clip is shared strictly for entertainment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdYaZURiqJw