Last night’s 56-51 victory over Ohio State has left Michigan in prime position to capture at least a share of its first Big Ten title since 1986. With four games remaining on the conference slate, and trailing Michigan State by just a game, does Michigan have a realistic shot? Let’s take a look at the current Big Ten standings as well as the remaining schedules for the contenders.

Michigan has just one home game remaining, against Purdue, with the Boilers being the only remaining opponent in the top half of the conference. Michigan State has a pair of should-wins against Minnesota and Nebraska before finishing up at Indiana and home against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have home tilts against Illinois and Wisconsin before traveling to Northwestern and Michigan State.

For Michigan to win at least a share of the Big Ten, the Wolverines will need Michigan State to lose one of its remaining games. State’s visit to Bloomington, Ind next Tuesday looks to be the best chance. But that alone won’t wrap up the title. Michigan will need to win out, which is a tough task with three of the final four on the road. The toughest test should be Tuesday night’s contest at Northwestern. If Michigan can escape the purple trap, we could be looking at the first Big Ten title in 25 years.

[Ed: Standings updated Monday morning to reflect Sunday night results].

Head Coach John Beilein had plenty of reason to celebrate Michigan's third straight victory over Michigan State, becoming the first Michigan coach to do so since Steve Fisher (photo by MGoBlue.com)

It had been 16 years since Michigan last beat rival Michigan State three straight times, but with Denard Robinson and Roy Roundtree jumping around among the Maize Rage and a host of Michigan NFLers in the stands, the Wolverines did just that on Tuesday night. Michigan squandered an 11 point second half lead but held the Spartans without a field goal for the final 4:23 to win 60-59.

Zack Novak got the scoring started with a three on Michigan’s first trip down the court and the Wolverines jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Another Novak three put Michigan ahead 13-4 before State got its offense going. Michigan maintained a five-to-seven point lead throughout the first half, taking a 36-29 lead into the locker room.

The second half began much the same with Tim Hardaway Jr getting his first bucket of the game on a dunk and Michigan opening up an 11-point lead. But with 12 minutes remaining, Michigan State’s offense got going and its defense clamped down.

A basket by Keith Appling sandwiched between threes by Austin Thornton and Brandon Wood brought MSU within three. Novak answered with a jumper of his own, but State reeled off six more to grab its first lead of the game at 50-49 with just under seven minutes to play.

An Appling jumper widened State’s lead to three before Trey Burke and Thornton traded threes. With just over four minutes left, center Derrick Nix gave the Spartans their biggest lead of the game at 57-53, but it was the last basket the Michigan defense would allow. Burke hit one of two free throws and Hardaway followed with a jumper to pull Michigan within one. A pair of free throws by Thornton took it back to a three point game but Hardaway answered again, this time with a layup.

With under a minute remaining, Burke grabbed a defensive rebound, pushed it up the court, and found Stu Douglass wide open under the basket for a transition layup to put Michigan on top by one. State ran the clock down to 11 seconds before attempting a shot, which Jordan Morgan blocked. However, it went right back into Spartan hands and Draymond Green got of a good but unbalanced look from the free throw line. It clanked off the left iron and a follow-up tip came up short as time expired.

Burke led the way with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from downtown. Hardaway and Novak each added 10. Michigan held Green to just seven points, nine below his season average, and Appling to 10, three below his average. Michigan was outrebounded 31-18, but committed just eight turnover to State’s 14 and shot 51.1 percent form the field, 13 percent higher than MSU’s defense typically allows.

The win keeps Michigan near the top of the Big Ten standings and preserves the Wolverines’ unbeaten home record this season. Michigan now trails Illinois by one game with a lot of basketball left to play. The Wolverines return to action on Saturday with an out-of-conference game at Arkansas (13-5) before visiting Purdue (14-5) next Tuesday.

On Saturday, Michigan traveled to Iowa City and laid an egg in a place it has had trouble winning the past few years. A 75-59 loss to the 11-8 Hawkeyes sent Michigan plummeting down the national rankings and it doesn’t get any easier tonight.

#19 Michigan v. #9 Michigan State
	Tuesday, Jan. 17 7 p.m. ET ESPN Ann Arbor, Mich.
14-4 (4-2)	Record	15-3 (4-1)
Ferris State 59-33 Towson 64-47 W. Illinois 59-55 #8 Memphis 73-61 UCLA 79-63 Iowa State 79-66 Oakland 90-80 Ark. Pine-Bluff 63-50 Alabama A&M 87-57 Bradley 77-66 Penn State 71-53 Minnesota 61-56 #16 Wisconsin 59-41 Northwestern 66-64 OT	Wins	Texas Southern 76-41 Ark-Little Rock 69-47 Milwaukee 68-55 E. Michigan 72-40 Florida State 65-49 Neb. Omaha 110-68 Central Conn. St. 89-69 #22 Gonzaga 74-67 Bowling Green 74-60 UMKC 89-54 Lehigh 90-81 #15 Indiana 80-65 Nebraska 68-55 #19 Wisconsin 63-60 OT Iowa 95-61
#6 Duke 75-82 Virginia 58-70 #11 Indiana 71-73 Iowa 59-75	Losses	#1 North Carolina 55-67 #6 Duke 69-74 Northwestern 74-81
69.3	Points Per Game	76.7
60.7	Scoring Defense	60.8
449-for-974 (46.1%)	Field Goal %	496-for-1,037 (47.8%)
391-for-949 (41.2%)	Def. Field Goal %	376-for-990 (38.0%)
150-for-431 (34.8%)	3-point %	101-for-278 (36.3%)
116-for-328 (35.4%)	Def. 3-point %	109-for-361 (30.2%)
199-for-281 (70.8%)	Free Throw %	287-for-413 (69.5%)
11.1	Free Throws Made/Game	15.9
33.8	Rebounds Per Game	40.7
31.2	Opp. Rebounds Per Game	30.7
13.5	Assists Per Game	16.9
11.5	Turnovers Per Game	13.9
5.0	Steals Per Game	8.3
2.4	Blocks Per Game	4.9
G – Tim Hardaway (15.7) G – Trey Burke (14.3)	Leading Scorer	F – Draymond Green (15.8) G – Keith Appling (12.9)
F – Evan Smotrycz (6.3) F – Jordan Morgan (5.7)	Leading Rebounder	F – Draymond Green (10.0) F – Branden Dawson (4.5)

Hated rival Michigan State invades Ann Arbor ranked 9th nationally, but also on the heels of a disappointing loss of its own. After reeling off 15 straight wins, the Spartans lost at Northwestern on Saturday.

Prior to that loss, Tom Izzo’s squad was arguably the hottest team in the Big Ten. MSU opened the season with a 67-55 loss to 1st-ranked North Carolina in the Carrier Classic and then fell 74-69 to Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic. The Spartans then reeled off 15 straight wins, including a 74-67 road win over #22 Gonzaga and an 80-65 win over 15th-ranked Indiana.

But on Saturday, just like Iowa did to Michigan, Northwestern proved that no matter the records, it’s tough to win on the road in the Big Ten. Thankfully for Michigan, tonight’s matchup is in the comforts of the Crisler Center where Michigan is unbeaten so far this season.

Michigan State is led by senior forward Draymond Green who averages 15.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in all but one game (nine points against Arkansas-Little Rock) and poured in 34 against Gonzaga. The 6’7″ forward has hit 24-of-59 three-pointers (40.7 percent) and hits better than 43 percent of his twos.

Sophomore point guard Keith Appling is second on the team with 12.9 points per game, though he’s just 16-of-53 from downtown. He has been hot and cold scoring-wise this season, but has scored at least 14 points in each of the last six games, including 25 against Indiana. He also put up 22 against Duke.

The only other Spartan averaging in double figures is senior guard Brandon Wood who averages 10.1. His season high is 20 against Nebraska Omaha.

The Spartans’ best three-point shooter is freshman guard Travis Trice who has hit 22-of-50 (44 percent) so far. He doesn’t score much, but gets 19 minutes a game and did put up 20 against Central Connecticut State on 4-of-4 shooting from three.

Inside, junior center Derrick Nix (7.7 ppg) and sophomore center Adreian Payne (6.8 ppg) have had their share of inconsistencies but have been improving throughout the season as replacements for Delvon Roe.

Despite Michigan’s struggles in the last two games (including the poorly-played overtime win over Northwestern), tonight’s game figures to be a hotly contested battle. Michigan won both games last season, sweeping the series for the first time since 1997. Green will be a tough matchup for either Evan Smotrycz or Zack Novak, but he has struggled the last three seasons against Michigan, averaging just six points a game. Michigan State ranks 9th nationally in rebounds per game, which will give the Spartans an edge, while Michigan will need to feed off of the Crisler Center crowd and get a hot hand shooting the three in order to pull off a third straight win over MSU.

It’s no secret that Denard Robinson had a bad game against Michigan State on Saturday or that his passing has not shown much improvement since last season. He went 9-for-24 last Saturday, lowering his season completion rate to 53.9 percent, and threw an interception to raise his season total to a nation-leading 11. Michigan fans across the spectrum are clamoring for Devin Gardner to replace him. So why is this guy still the starting quarterback at Michigan?

Denard already ranks in the top 10 in every passing and rushing category (photo by the Ann Arbor News)

The answer, in short, is because by the time he hangs up his jersey for the last time, Denard will be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever don the maize and blue. You may scoff at that claim, given the number of signal-callers Michigan has sent to the NFL, but it depends on what your definition of quarterback is.

Is he the best pure, NFL-ready quarterback? No. There are probably a dozen Michigan alums that were better true pro-style quarterbacks. But college football is chalk full of effective quarterbacks who aren’t NFL-style QBs. Denard is one of the best, and the same can be said for his place in the history of college football’s all-time winningest program.

Don’t agree? Look at the numbers. He’s a year-and-a-half into his career as a starter and he already ranks in the top 10 in nearly every major offensive category, both passing and rushing.

Michigan has fielded 132 teams since the football program began in 1879. It has a history as rich as any school in the country. There have been some phenomenal players to take the field, but none have the statistical resume Robinson will have when he graduates.

Putting stats aside for a minute, the main metrics in which any player is judged – and rightfully so – are winning games, winning championships, and beating rivals. Right now, Denard trails in all three, but he’s not as far behind the greats as one would think.

He has a current record of 13-7 as a starting quarterback through his first 20 games. By contrast, Chad Henne and John Navarre were each 14-6, and Tom Brady and Elvis Grbac were 15-5. Brian Griese was 16-4 thanks to the national championship season of 1997, and Jim Harbaugh was 16-3-1. As you can see, Denard’s not far behind the recent greats in the win category. However, judging a quarterback by winning games alone is somewhat misleading unless you look at the talent he has around him.

Henne had probably the best crop of playmakers of any Michigan quarterback, with Braylon Edwards, Steve Breaston, Mario Manningham, and Adrian Arrington to throw to, Mike Hart to hand off to, and an NFL No. 1 overall pick, Jake Long, protecting him. Navarre had David Terrelle and Marquise Walker to throw to and Anthony Thomas and Chris Perry to hand off to. Griese had Amani Toomer, Tim Biakabatuka, Tai Streets, an NFL offensive line, and one of the greatest defenses of all time. Grbac had Desmond Howard, Derrick Alexander, and Ricky Powers.

Denard has some talent around him, but right now it pales in comparison to what Henne, Navarre, Griese, and Grbac had. Every single one of those above played or are playing in the NFL. How many of Denard’s current supporting cast will make it to the league?

Chad Henne is Michigan's career leader in all major passing categories, but had a losing record against rivals (photo by the Ann Arbor News)

Now that we’ve established that Denard is right on pace in the win category, lets move on to winning championships. If we’re talking national championships, then only Brian Griese can count in the modern era. We would have to go all the way back to Pete Elliott in 1948 to find the last Michigan quarterback to lay claim to that.

If we’re talking Big Ten championships, then Denard has some work to do. Henne started four years but won just one Big Ten title. Denard still has a chance –albeit slight – to achieve that this season. He also has a year left. Brady, Griese, and Harbaugh each also won one. Navarre won two, although one was in 2000 when he started just four games and split time with Drew Henson.

How about beating rivals? This has a chance to be Denard’s strongest comparison but just like winning games, this takes help. He has beaten Notre Dame both times he’s faced them – and did it almost singlehandedly each time. He’s lost twice to Michigan State and is 0-1 against Ohio State with a chance to even that record at the end of November. That would pull him to 3-3 against rivals, and with a sweep in 2012, he could get to 6-3. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Since he will play nine career rivalry games, barring injury, he’ll either finish with a winning or losing record in those games.

Henne went 5-6 (4-0 against Michigan State, 1-2 against Notre Dame, but 0-4 against Ohio State). Navarre went 4-4 (2-1 against Michigan State, 1-1 against Notre Dame, and 1-2 against Ohio State). Griese was 4-1 (2-0 against Ohio State, 1-0 against Notre Dame, and 0-1 against Michigan State). Grbac was 5-2-1 (2-0 against Ohio State, 2-1 against Michigan State, and 1-2-1 against Notre Dame). Harbaugh went 6-1 (2-0 against both Ohio State and Notre Dame, and 2-1 against Michigan State).

So by that measure, Harbaugh, Grbac, and Griese lead, but again, Denard still has a chance to achieve a winning record, which Henne and Navarre couldn’t. Only Henne had a losing record, so Denard will have to avoid doing that.

Stats-wise, Denard currently ranks 9th in career completions (272), 10th in passing yards (4,011), 9th in touchdown passes (31), 9th in 100-yard passing games (14), and 6th in 200-yard passing games (9). He also has the second-best single-game completion percentage, with his 86.3 percent performance against UConn last season, he currently ranks 5th in career completion percentage (59.9), just ahead of Henne, and 4th in career efficiency rating (145.9), ahead of both Henne and Brady. Last season’s 2,570 passing yards was the 7th-best season total in Michigan history.

By the time his career is over, Denard should conceivably rank third or fourth in every major passing category, behind only Henne and Navarre.

Rushing-wise, he’s like no other Michigan has seen. Michigan has had some agile quarterbacks, but none put up anywhere close to the rushing numbers he has so far, partially because they all had solid running backs alongside them. Denard is already second in Big Ten history for quarterback rushing yards, trailing only Illinois’ Juice Williams, and he’s just 1,080 away from passing Williams.

He currently ranks 10th in Michigan career rushing yards (2,815) and career rushing touchdowns (28). Those numbers are for any Michigan player, not just quarterbacks. He also has the highest career yards-per carry average (6.49), the 4th-best single season yardage total (1,702), and the 5th-best single game total (258). Last week, he passed Tim Biakabatuka in yards. By the time his career is over, he’ll likely rank in the top four in yards and top two or three in touchdowns.

So buckle up Michigan fans, because right now we’re witnessing one of the most prolific Michigan quarterbacks of all time, whether you like his style or not. After he graduates, Michigan will likely go back to the NFL-style signal-caller, and years from now, we’ll all look back with reverence at the Michigan legend that was Denard Robinson. Let’s put to rest the calls for Gardner.

Well, it wasn’t the game we all had hoped for, but at least one person can come away with an ounce of happiness. The1tab pulled of an unprecedented worst to first to capture this week’s prize, a copy of John U. Bacon’s Three and Out. The book gets released next Tuesday, so the bye week gives plenty of time for the1tab to look forward to reading it.

The question that won this week for him was Denard Robinson’s total yards. He chose 198, which was only 33 away from Denard’s actual total of 165. The next closest was chris12qb, who tied for second, at 85 yards away.

Everyone overestimated Michigan’s points scored, but the closest was new user hottiebobottie, who had the least faith in the Wolverines, guessing 17.

Only one contestant, TrueBlue88, correctly predicted the total amount of sacks and turnovers by both teams (10). Unfortunately, seven of those sacks were by Michigan State. TrueBlue88 was also the closest to the longest field goal made. There wasn’t one, but he guessed the shortest at 31 yards.

New entrant lukelukeluke was the closest to the total combined yards for Junior Hemingway and Jeremy Gallon (86). He was just 20 away. Both Hemingway and Gallon totaled 43 yards.

No game this week means no challenge either. Check back the first of next week for the Week 8 challenge. Stay tuned for some bye week features and a recruiting breakdown in the coming days. Next week, we will get back into regularly scheduled programming once I return from checking out some SEC football at the LSU-Auburn game.

Click here for the overall Michigan Man 5-Spot Challenge standings.

Having not yet read any of the post-game reaction to Saturday’s 28-14 loss to Michigan State, I’m guessing that there is a lot of frustration among the masses about how the Wolverines played.  I’m also guessing that a lot of people are blaming Denard Robinson for the loss because of his performance.

While going 9-of-24 for 123 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and 18 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown are not great stats and are not typical of his usual performance, Denard is not completely to blame.  NO ONE should be questioning whether or not he should still be the quarterback, and NO ONE should be clamoring for a two-QB system along with Devin Gardner.  I’ll discuss why below.

Despite being put in poor positions, the Michigan defense held strong most of the game (photo by the Detroit Free Press)

But before I get to that, I do want to give defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and the Michigan defense some credit for the game they played.  The Wolverine defense played well for all four quarters of this game.

After getting gashed with the run on MSU’s first drive of the game, Mattison adjusted immediately to stop the run using the 4-6 Defense, also known as the Bear Defense. It’s the best defense for stopping the run because it eliminates the ability for the offensive line to make double teams on defensive linemen, leaving the secondary in either straight man-to-man (Cover 0), Man-Free (Cover 1), or Cover 3 (Zone).  The 4-6 was an excellent choice as the defense held MSU scoreless for the rest of the first half.

In the second half, Michigan continued to mix in the 4-6 depending on the down and distance.  The Michigan D was put in a bad position on MSU’s first drive after Matt Wile’s poor kickoff left MSU starting at its own 46-yard line.  The other drive on which it gave up a touchdown was later in the third quarter and that was not because of MSU’s rushing game.  Again, the defense was put in a bad position by the Michigan offense as MSU started at its own 39 and completed three 10-to-15-yard passes. All of this after Michigan recovered a fumble in State territory but could only go backwards on a three-and-out series.

The last seven points were an interception returned for a touchdown by the MSU defense.  Unlike last year, when the defense was often the reason for Michigan’s losses, Saturday’s game was the opposite.  It clearly played well all game.  It’s hard for a ‘bend but don’t break’ defense like Michigan’s to basically start at midfield on every drive and expect it not to give up some points.

On to Michigan’s QB situation.  I will admit that Denard Robinson did not have a great day on Saturday.  He missed quite a few open receivers that he should not have missed.  He also forced passes into double coverage a few times and continued to throw off his back foot instead of stepping into his throws.

On called running plays, he did his thing like normal, but the MSU defensive front really limited his ability to break any big runs because, simply put, it was way better than the Michigan offensive line.  MSU Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi essentially used the same game plan that he used last year to contain Denard: seven-to-eight players in the box, an upfield rush by the defensive ends to keep Denard and the running backs between the tackles, and pressure up the middle with the linebackers.  MSU held Michigan to a TOTAL of 82 rushing yards and forced Denard to throw.  We saw how that turned out.

Denard got sacked on fourth-and-inches, effectively ending Michigan's chances of winning the game. While he didn't play well, he needs to be put in better situations (photo by the Detroit News)

Despite this, I disagree with those that say Denard’s play was the reason for Michigan’s loss.  Michigan Offensive Coordinator Al Borges failed to adjust to MSU’s defense the entire game and I submit that Borges’ play-calling is more to blame for Michigan’s offensive woes.  Let’s be clear: putting in Devin Gardner for some kind of “gadget” play is not a coaching adjustment.  That kind of call is good for keeping the defense honest when it is over-pursuing the run or just isn’t very disciplined, but when your team is struggling to get things going, “tricking” them is not going to lead to consistent scoring.

Instead, what Borges should have been calling was more quick passing plays to the receivers (curls, outs, hitches) and to the running backs out of the backfield, draws, and SCREENS.  I don’t remember one single screen play to the running backs in the entire game.  These are EASY passes that even Denard can hit with regularity and gets the ball out of his hands before he gets too much pressure.

The answer to beating aggressive pressure by the defense, especially up the middle as MSU did, is not “let’s throw the ball over their heads.” It’s to use screens, draws, throwing to the backs out of the backfield, and a quick, methodical passing game to the places where the blitz was coming from.  Why?  Because the linebackers are responsible for covering the backs and for the short zones in the flats and in the middle of the field.  If they are blitzing the quarterback, who is covering these areas??  NO ONE!  Hit a couple screens to the running back for some big gains and that defensive pressure will stop real quick!  These are all things Denard can do with enough practice and they are something that Borges will HAVE to get into the playbook if Michigan wants to win games against better competition the rest of the season.

The other thing that I disagree with Borges doing was calling specific plays for Gardner and this increasing role for Gardner in the offense that we seem to be witnessing.  Gardner is certainly a talented player who can help the offense and I do think that he should get some live game snaps for if/when Denard gets hurt.  While he may be a better passer than Denard, he does not give the Michigan offense a better chance to score, as long as Borges is calling the right kinds of plays for his quarterback.

In the MSU game, Gardner got more playing time than in any game yet this year.  In fact, he has progressively gotten more snaps in every game as the season has moved along.  But Borges has no business using Gardner on first down or on a 2nd-and-10, especially when Michigan is losing.  He should be using him on 2nd-and-short or maybe even 3rd-and-short to give the defense something extra to think about.

Devin Gardner will be a good QB, but now is not the time to give up on Denard (photo by the Ann Arbor News)

Also, in case Borges, or anyone reading this article, thinks that Michigan should go to a two-QB system: stop it.  Denard is not the type of quarterback who can be ushered in and out of the game.  He is a rhythm QB who is best when he is out on the field on every play and allowed to create.  Do we really want to have a QB with a confidence problem?  Would it really serve the Michigan offense well to have our QB always looking over his shoulder for the coach to yank him when he makes a mistake?  No.

Denard is going to make mistakes when Borges puts him in an uncomfortable position by calling bad plays.  The last thing we want is our Heisman Trophy-candidate quarterback afraid to make something happen because he is worried about being pulled from the game.  That may even lead to more bad plays.

Two-QB systems rarely work.  To make it happen, you have to have a good coach who understands the complexities of playing the QB position.  Steve Spurrier did this successfully a couple times while head coach at Florida.  But, for the most part, a two-QB system just leads to more inconsistent play by both QBs who are trying to do it.  Al Borges certainly is not the coach to do this.  He should be more worried about calling the right plays for his offense and for his QB.

When you know your offensive line is not as good as the defensive front, and when you know your QB struggles to throw the ball downfield, especially under pressure, why continue to force these plays that aren’t working?  The sign of a good offensive coordinator is someone who recognizes what the defense is doing and adjusts to it, while at the same time doing things that his personnel is capable of.

In truth, Denard is probably not the exact fit for Borges’ style of offense, but that is who he has, at least for the rest of this year and next.  He is one of the most explosive players in all of college football.  If you can’t find a way to win games with him, then you shouldn’t be an offensive coordinator.  The answer is not to take him out the game; it’s to call better plays.

And for those who are calling for Devin Gardner to take over as the starting QB: don’t forget how excited you were to have a Heisman Trophy talent like Denard Robinson in the Michigan backfield.  He hasn’t gotten any worse.  He just needs someone to call better plays for him when the defense takes away the zone-read.  Up to this point, we haven’t yet seen that out of Borges.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Chris is a former Division 1 quarterback and an avid Michigan fan

On a day in which the forecast called for 30-plus mile per hour winds, one would think the run game would take front and center. However, someone forgot to tell that to offensive coordinator Al Borges as Michigan threw it up 31 times, while rushing it 36. Some of those run plays were originally called pass, so that disparity should be weighted a little more pass.

Michigan is not a passing team – not even close. It might be in the future, but not right now. Why Borges would try to air it out so much is beyond me, but I don’t like to question those who are far more experienced than myself.

#11 Michigan 14 – # 23 Michigan State 28
	Final Stats
14	Final Score	28
6-1 (2-1)	Record	5-1 (2-0)
250	Total Yards	333
82	Net Rushing Yards	211
168	Net Passing Yards	120
20	First Downs	16
1	Turnovers	2
5-40	Penalties – Yards	13-124
7-223	Punts – Yards	5-205
29:27	Time of Possession	30:33
3-of-15	Third Down Conversions	7-of-14
2-for-4	Fourth Down Conversions	0-for-0
0-0	Sacks By – Yards	7-62
0-for-0	Field Goals	0-for-0
2-for-2	PATs	4-for-4
1-for-2	Red Zone Scores – Chances	3-for-3

But in this game, the offensive game plan didn’t seem to put Michigan in position to win as it struggled all day, falling 28-14 to Michigan State.

Michigan took the ball first and Devin Gardner came in on the second play. A fake jet sweep to Denard and Gardner kept it and ran for the first down. A couple plays later, MSU blitzed and Vincent Smith made it pay with a 26 yard gain, getting inside MSU territory.

After a delay of game Michigan failed to convert a 3rd-and-long and lined up for the kick. Drew Dileo, the holder, took the snap and took off, getting a great block by kicker Brendan Gibbons on his way to picking up the first down.

On 2nd-and-6, Jerel Worthy grabbed Denard and looked to have him in the backfield for a loss, but Shoelace broke free and worked his magic, weaving in and out on his way to the end zone from 15 yards out.

MSU took its first drive and despite a huge drop by Keshawn Martin that would have gone for six, MSU still managed to get inside the 10. A pitch to running back Edwin Baker led to MSU’s first points of the day as he waltzed in virtually untouched. After being rather suspect coming into the game, MSU’s offensive line was dominating at the point of attack.

The Wolverines couldn’t get anything going on its next few drives as MSU kept stuffing the run and not giving the receivers any space. Fortunately for Michigan, State couldn’t do much either as it had several dropped passes that would have led to scores or first downs. This was shaping up to be an epic defensive battle.

Michigan looked like it was going to get its offense going after starting inside its own five-yard line and Junior Hemingway grabbed a high pass and took it out to the 35-yard line. But the offense fizzled, failing to convert a 3rd-and-4.

MSU continued its inability to score as well though. Dropped passes were killing the Spartans on offense and flags for late hits and other various penalties were killing them on defense, but Michigan could not capitalize.

Much like last year, MSU was keeping Denard in check, not allowing any running lanes and forcing him to pass the ball – not exactly his forte.

After halftime, MSU started at its own 45 after a bad kick, and wasted no time in capitalizing. The Spartans marched down the field almost unimpeded with Kirk Cousins hitting Martin for a short touchdown on 3rd-and-goal.

MSU stuffed Smith behind the line on first down and then a pass to Roundtree on second sailed over his head. On third down, Denard scrambled around but could not get way. MSU was all over him like white on rice. Fortunately, there was a late hit penalty that gave Michigan a first down. I wouldn’t call MSU a ‘dirty’ team per se, but it sure looked like one today – a lot of late hits and personal fouls. Michigan couldn’t capitalize on the mistake as Denard was sacked on first down and then hit with a holding call on third.

Michigan broke out the all whites for the first time since the mid-1970s (photo by MGoBlue.com)

MSU started at its own 20 and handed off to Baker, who busted a huge gain. Luckily for Michigan, Thomas Gordon (this kid always seems to make plays) knocked the ball out and true freshman linebacker Desmond Morgan recovered it. This was supposed to be one of those momentum swinging plays we’ve seen throughout the year that gets Michigan in gear and they go into beast mode. Not today though, as Michigan went three-and-out, with another Denard sack on third down.

After a 15-yard penalty on Michigan, MSU took over at its own 39 – great position again – and once again capitalized, moving the ball well through the air and with Martin visiting the end zone again on a 2nd-and-8 pass where he made a couple defenders miss. Michigan just could not get enough pressure on Cousins to hurry him and force bad throws.

Michigan had nothing going on its next drive, but got bailed out once again with another MSU personal foul on a 3rd-and-7 play that went incomplete. Denard took a jet sweep and ran for a first, and then hit Roundtree a couple plays later for another first down. Gardner came in on 3rd-and-11 and fumbled the snap for a loss of about 8. In case you weren’t watching the game, this was Michigan’s seventh straight possession that ended with a punt. I guess punting is better than turning it over, but still, seven straight possessions is a long time for Michigan to not get something going. Flashbacks to 2009 and ’10 come to mind at this point, but I have faith in Brady Hoke so I just shrugged it off as bad luck or the weather.

Michigan’s defense forced MSU into a 4th-and-18 after a great punt put them inside its own 15. Jeremy Gallon returned it to inside the 35 and on the first play Denard hit Roundtree in stride, who then broke a tackle and took it to the house to pull within seven at 21-14. Just under ten minutes remained, which was plenty of time to complete the comeback.

MSU ran a bit of trickery, giving an end around to Martin and Michigan didn’t see it. He ran for a good gain before J.T. Floyd punched the ball out and Jordan Kovacs recovered it (Kovacs > Rudy, just saying). Here we go again: a turnover and Michigan is looking to score again and tie this game up.

After getting into a 3rd-and-13, Denard hit Kevin Koger for a huge gain, but came up just shy. Hoke elected to go for it on 4th-and-short. Denard handed off to Smith, or so everyone in Lansing thought, but pulled it out at the last second and ran for the first down himself. The crowd didn’t realize it until after Denard got up. They cheered so loud thinking they stuffed Smith on fourth down only to see Shoelace get up past the marker with the ball. This team just seems to find a way to win, right?

After Denard hit Gallon just shy of the marker, Michigan was forced to go for it again on 4th-and-inches. This time, MSU was having nothing of it and sacked Denard for a big loss.

Unfortunately, this was a familiar sight on Saturday (photo by MSUspartans.com)

MSU didn’t do much though, going three-and-out and punting right back to the Wolverines.

Michigan was still in good shape when it took over at its own 33 with all three timeouts left and just over under five minutes to play. MSU blitzed up the middle and Denard threw a bad pass that was picked off by Isaiah Lewis and taken back for six, putting Sparty up 28-14. There was not a lot of time left and it looked as though that was the nail in the coffin.

It turned out it was as Devin Gardner scrambled around the entire field on 4th-and-22, but was eventually taken down. MSU ran out the clock and took home the ugliest trophy in all of sports, the Paul Bunyan trophy, for the fourth straight year. The game wasn’t really as close as the score indicated as MSU dominated pretty much every possession up front and once again kept the most electrifying player in the land in check.

Of course, there’s going to be talk of Michigan starting out well and then collapsing late in the season like the past two years, but I won’t have any of that. Yeah, Michigan got beat, but Brady Hoke is not Rich Rodriguez. He knows what Michigan football is all about, and he won’t let these kids get down on themselves.

“I expect them to act like a Michigan football team, and that means they’re going to come to work,” Hoke said after the game when asked how he thinks the players will react to the loss.

He WILL have them prepared to come out and play when they take the field against Purdue after the bye week. And come on, let’s face it, as great as we thought it would be did any of us really think Michigan would run the table in the B1G Ten?

If there is a silver lining it would be that MSU has to face a dominant Wisconsin team next week, and then travels to Nebraska the following week. Michigan could still wind up on top of the Legends division after a win against Purdue and two very possible MSU losses. It’s a good time for a Michigan bye week to regroup, get healthy and come back strong for games against Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska before the big one against Ohio State to close the season.

Last week, we were all fairly close to predicting the final score, but Matt was the closest, predicting 38-24. The final score was 42-24 good guys. It was Matt’s first pick’em win of the year. He gets the honor of winning Prince’s Purple Rain album and a 2002 Northwestern media guide. Lucky him.

Michigan and Michigan State renew their battle for Michigan supremacy tomorrow

This time around, we have all kinds of ammo to play with, being a rivalry game and all. This week’s winner will receive a Little Bro outfit to give to his favorite State fan, as well as a Paul Bunyan children’s book to read to said Sparty to remind him of the trophy that will no longer reside in East Lansing after Saturday.

Beating Michigan State tomorrow would make Brady Hoke the first Michigan head coach to do so in his first season since Bennie Ooserbaan in 1948. It would also make Michigan 7-0 heading into its bye week and will likely get Michigan into the Top 10 when the BCS standings are released Sunday night. So who thinks Michigan can win?

The picks:

Justin (1): On paper, Michigan State looks like the team to beat in this one. Sparty boasts the nation’s top total defense, an experienced senior quarterback, and NFL-caliber playmakers on both sides of the ball. But games are never won on paper. State is as much a paper tiger as any team in the country.

The offenses that the Spartan defense has shut down this season rank 118, 21, 88, and 105 nationally. Youngstown State’s offense ranks 8th in the Football Championship Subdivision. That’s not exactly awe-inspiring. The one good offense Michigan State faced, Notre Dame (21st in total offense), beat them 31-13. True, the Irish gained a season-low in total yardage, but take away the 89-yard kickoff return touchdown and a Robert Blanton interception return that gave ND the ball at the MSU 12-yardline, and that offensive yardage is likely right up to where it usually is for the Irish.

In short, it’s nearly impossible to draw conclusions as to how good this Spartan defense actually is yet, until it can prove it can beat a team with a good offense.

Michigan is that team, averaging 38 points and 458 yards per game. It’s easy for one to look at Michigan from a distance and say, “Well, Michigan started hot the past two years but couldn’t hold up against Big Ten competition.” And that’s true. But comparing those two teams to this year’s team is like comparing apples to oranges. One makes apple sauce and one makes orange juice. They’re both good, but one is a breakfast staple and the other is reserved for middle school lunch boxes.

This year’s Michigan offense is the orange juice. It shares some similarities to the offense under Rich Rodriguez, but it’s much more complex, and that’s the way Brady Hoke wanted it when he took over. More than simply a zone-read, quick pass offense, it has elements of a power game, some trick plays, and a wide assortment of packages that we’re just starting to see. It has lots of pulp, some pulp, no pulp, fresh squeezed, even juice from concentrate. It’s a diverse offense that keeps breaking out new looks and is sure to have something new tomorrow.

This game marks the first time since Chad Henne in 2007 – the last time Michigan beat Sparty – that Michigan brings a second-year starting quarterback into the game. And that can’t be taken lightly. Though Denard Robinson is still prone to mistakes, it’s from fundamentals, not that he simply can’t make plays. He’s proven time and again that he can make big plays when needed. Ask Notre Dame or Northwestern.

Look for a couple of these from Junior Hemingway

Look for Borges to try to get Denard comfortable early on with some quick screens and designed runs to counter Jerel Worthy. You can be rest assured that Borges will have a gameplan to neutralize Worthy’s quick jump off the ball and take advantage of an aggressive front seven.

Defensively, Greg Mattison will install an effective blitz package to pressure Kirk Cousins early, forcing him into some mistakes.

The game will go back and forth and be tight until the clock hits zero, but I think the magic of Denard will shine brightly once again and will Michigan to victory.

Michigan 27 – Michigan State 23

Josh (2): Little Brother hasn’t given up more than seven points in a game this season, other than the beat down Notre Dame gave it. But, is hasn’t really played any “good” offenses. Everyone wants to talk about how Michigan hasn’t beaten anyone good either, but they’re beating teams they’re supposed to beat and doing it convincingly. That’s what good teams do.

Not to mention that Michigan is only giving up 12.5 points per game against better teams than through the first six games last year.

It seems like we say this every week: this is going to be the toughest test for Michigan thus far. First, it was Western Michigan’s Alex Carder. Then, ND’s Tommy Rees, and then Northwestern’s Dan Persa. Michigan gave up yards, but not a lot of points and last I checked, you win the game by scoring more points than you give up. It has nothing to do with the amount of yards. True, Michigan is giving up a lot less yards per game than last season’s first six, but the important thing to note is it’s giving up two touchdowns less per game, and that is huge.

Michigan State can put up some decent yardage through the air and Kirk Cousins is probably the best quarterback Michigan has faced so far. He isn’t going to pose the same threat as Persa did with his legs, but he is still a good quarterback. Give any good QB enough time and he will pick you apart. That is the key on defense: hurry Cousins into making quick, bad throws and make him move out of the pocket.

Michigan’s front four has improved each game and they know they need to get more pressure on the QB. If they can, then it could be a long day for Cousins.

Michigan State’s offensive line has been a bit suspect at times this year, and if that continues, Michigan should be able to get some good pressure on Cousins.

On the other side of the ball, Michigan absolutely has to limit its turnovers. Michigan will not win this game throwing three picks in the first half, like last week, putting itself in a deep hole.

State lost a couple of good defenders from last season, but is still a stout defense, giving up just 173 yards per game and ranked No. 1 in the FBS in total defense. Fortunately for Michigan, the Wolverines boast the No. 10 total offense in the land, racking up 457 yards per game.

Much like pundits want to look at who Michigan has put up those numbers against, we will look at who Michigan State has been stuffing yardage-wise: Youngstown State – an FCS school; Florida Atlantic – a winless school from the Sun Belt Conference; Central Michigan – no more needs to be said about them; and Ohio State – one of the most inept offenses in the country. Notre Dame did spank the Spartans but managed only 275 yards.

So four of the five teams State has played were vastly inferior or poor offenses. Not to take anything away from what they’ve done, but State has not faced anyone near as good as Denard and Co.

Michigan aims to recapture the Paul Bunyan trophy

If Michigan wins this game, everyone will be drinking the Kool-Aid, and some already are. I’ve bought in completely to Hoke and Mattison, though I didn’t think it would pay dividends so quickly. This is not the same Michigan team as last year, and they’re proving it to everyone each and every week. After this week, people will stop flying their “fraud flags” and buy into what’s going on in A2.

Michigan will limit its turnovers and force a couple as it tents to do. The defense will keep Cousins in check and Borges opens the drawer some more and will confuse State’s defense on their way to seven in a row.

Michigan 35 – Michigan State 17

Matt (1): This is the first prediction where I have no idea what to say. I am truly worried about Michigan’s 6-0 undefeated streak. I would love to see Brady Hoke’s start at Michigan to improve to 7-0, but this one is going to be a tough one. Maybe the toughest yet.

Kirk Cousins is a good quarterback, but Denard has proven that although he may toss some picks, he’s a pretty good QB too. I dont see there being a shortage of points in this game. I just hope that if Michigan comes up a little short in the first half (which seems to be typical), that Hoke, Borges and Mattison can rally the troops like they have in many of our games.

I see Denard being Denard again: a few picks, a couple of TD tosses, and a few rushing TDs. Cousins will play a good game too.

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Wolverines pull this one out last minute, like they have a few times this season. A lot of TDs for both teams and this one goes to OT!

Michigan 49 – Michigan State 42 (2 OT)

Chris (2): This week’s game at Michigan State will be the toughest test yet for the Wolverines, especially for the Michigan offense. The strength of the MSU defense is a strong defensive front led by defensive tackle Jerel Worthy and end William Gholston. The linebackers are down a notch from last year after the loss of Greg Jones, who was drafted by the New York Giants, and the secondary has two starter returning from last year’s unit.

The numbers say that MSU has the third-best defensive unit in the nation, allowing an average of only 10.2 points per game. However, I think that number is a little low due to the schedule the Spartans have played thus far. This includes games against Youngstown State (of the Football Championship Subdivision), Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, and Ohio State. Taking out ND, who put up 31 points on MSU, the Spartans have not played a tough schedule.

So while I believe that this MSU defense is pretty good and can cause problems due to its aggressiveness, I don’t think it is as good as most people are saying.

On offense, Michigan State has a two-headed rushing combo with running backs Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell, as well as a standout receiver in B.J. Cunningham. Five games into the season, the MSU offense has performed average for the amount of talent it had returning at the skill positions, including those mentioned above and senior quarterback Kirk Cousins. This is especially true in the running game.

This is a tough game to make a prediction for. MSU hasn’t played any great teams and the best team it played so far, Notre Dame, beat the Spartans badly. The same can be said for Michigan, however, although the Wolverines did beat Notre Dame at home.

Both teams have questions on defense as to how good they really are. I think both teams have offenses that can put up high scores against an opponent.

It will be interesting to see how Michigan Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison handles star wide receiver Cunningham with a secondary that is still young and struggles at times. He’s probably the best in the Big Ten.

Since his first day as head coach at the University of Michigan, Brady Hoke has re-focused the program on the big rivalries, MUS and Ohio State, and I expect that Michigan will come into this game extremely motivated after three straight losses to the Spartans.

On the other side, MSU Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi held Denard Robinson and the Michigan offense in check last year, so he knows how to defend against this offense. With that being said, I have to give the edge to Michigan in this game.

Both teams will come in excited to play, but I like a more experienced Michigan offense against Narduzzi’s defense. As long as offensive coordinator Al Borges can settle Denard down early in the game by calling plays, which allow him to stay in his comfort zone, Michigan will be fine. But Michigan cannot get down early because then, Denard will be forced to pass and MSU will know it’s coming. This will not lead to success or a win.

I expect both teams to put up points and I think this game will come down to who can run the ball bet and which team can protect the ball from turnovers.

Michigan 28 – Michigan State 24

There comes a time when you say to yourself enough’s enough. You’ve always dominated and gotten your way, but recently your little brother has snuck up and stolen a few cookies from the cookie jar while you were on a diet. Those cookies always looked so tempting, but you just couldn’t quite muster up the courage to take one. And little brother taunted you with them.

#11 Michigan v. #23 Michigan State
	Saturday Oct. 15 12 p.m. ET ESPN
6-0 (2-0)	Record	4-1 (1-0)
Western Michigan 34-10 Notre Dame 35-31 Eastern Michigan 31-3 San Diego State 28-7 Minnesota 58-0 Northwestern 42-24	Wins	Youngstown St. 28-6 Florida Atlantic 44-0 Central Michigan 45-7 Ohio State 10-7
	Losses	Notre Dame 13-31
38.0	Scoring Offense	28.0
257.0	Rushing YPG	128.8
200.5	Passing YPG	269.2
457.5	Total Offense	398.0
12.5	Scoring Defense	10.2
134.0	Rush Defense YPG	64.0
202.5	Pass Defense YPG	109.4
336.5	Total Defense YPG	173.4
17	Takeaways	10
11	Giveaways	7
11/2	Sacks By/Allowed	14/5
39-of-68 (57%)	Third-down Conv.	25-of-71 (35%)
4-for-6 (67.7%)	Field Goals	7-for-10 (70%)
35.6	Net Punt Avg.	33.7

Then, one day, you’re not quite to where you want to be, but you decide to put a stop to it. By god, those are your cookies. and you’re sick of being taken advantage of. So you hired a new nutritional coach who gives you a great game plan that even includes an indulgence of a few cookies here and there. Little brother comes looking for his cookies and they’re gone. His short stint as the cookie monster is over and he’s relegated back to longing to be you.

Obviously that’s a silly example, but it’s by and large the situation Michigan faces tomorrow. For 103 years, Michigan has dominated the rivalry, winning two-thirds of the meetings. When the Paul Bunyan trophy was introduced in 1953, Michigan State won it, but Michigan has brought old Paul back to Ann Arbor 34 times to MSU’s 22.

In the past three years, however, Little Brother woke up…or, rather, capitalized on an advantageous situation. Rich Rodriguez was brought in to bring Michigan into modernity, and we all know the story. Michigan State swooped in and won all three meetings.

Now, Rodriguez is gone and Brady Hoke has brought a new attitude to Ann Arbor – one that hearkens tradition and values rivalries. He’s already one-for-one, having beaten Notre Dame in Week 2, and now he could become the first Michigan head coach since Bennie Ooosterbaan in 1948 to beat Michigan State in his frist season as head coach. Bo Schembechler lost his first matchup 23-12 in 1969, Gary Moeller lost 28-27 in 1990, and Lloyd Carr lost 28-25 in 1995.

Michigan State enters tomorrow’s matchup 4-1 and ranked 23rd nationally, boasting the nation’s No. 1 ranked total defense. Does Michigan have a chance to end the three-year drought? Let’s take a look at the matchpus.

Quarterbacks:

Kirk Cousins is a senior three-year starter and three-time captain. He has a 20-10 record as MSU’s starting quarterback and has a chance to tie Jeff Smoker (2000-03) for the school record if he beats Michigan tomorrow. So far this season, Cousins has been accurate (67.8 percent) and has thrown for 1,197 yards and six touchdowns.

He’s not much of a runner, so Michigan won’t have to worry about a Northwestern-style offense that it had trouble stopping in the first half last week. He has a decent arm but the offense is more tailored towards short-to-intermediate passes and a power run game. He’s efficient and accurate with outs, slants, curls and the like and has the ability to throw deep every now and then.

He’s likely to be the best quarterback Michigan faces all season, but the Michigan defense has faced its share of good signal-callers so far in Alex Carder, Tommy Rees, Ryan Lindley, and Dan Persa. It gave up a lot of yards to Rees, but got the better of him in the end, and contained the others pretty well. All this to say that while Cousins is good, Michigan and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison certainly won’t be afraid of him.

Denard Robinson is arguably the most dangerous player in the country and the most important player to his team in the Big Ten. He hasn’t always been consistent this season, but he has displayed the ability to win with his legs or his arm. Most people think of him as a running back playing quarterback, but as he showed in the second half against Notre Dame and last week, he can put the ball in the air when needed. It’s just a matter of whether the good-throwing Denard or the back-foot-throwing Denard will show up.

Last year, Michigan State was the first team to bottle him up, holding him to just 86 rushing yards on 21 carries (4.1 yards per) and 215 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He’s still prone to mistakes when pressured, but he’s not the same player he was a year ago and this isn’t the same offense either. Rest assured Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges will have a good plan to neutralize State’s powerful front seven.

Edge: Even

Le'Veon Bell is a good running back behind an underperforming line (photo by Kirk Irwin, Getty Images)

Running Backs:

Michigan State features a pair of good running backs in Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker. Bell leads the team with 267 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Baker is close behind in yards with 252 yards on 4.1 yards per carry, but just one touchdown. They’re a punishing duo because they give the Spartans two nearly equal bruisers to rotate in and keep fresh. In addition, junior Larry Caper has been a thorn in Michigan’s side the past two years, scoring the winning touchdown in overtime in 2009, and an eight-yard touchdown last season to break the game open. The big question, however, is whether Michigan State’s underperforming offensive line will be able to rise to the occasion, but more on that in a little bit.

Michigan also has a good stable of backs. Though individually they probably aren’t as talented as pure the Spartan trio, but they work well in Michigan’s offense, giving it plenty of versatility. Fitz Toussaint is the between the tackles back leading all UM running backs with 326 yards on 5.4 yards per carry and four touchdowns. But it’s Vincent Smith who is probably the Wolverines best all-around back. He has just 214 yards, but is averaging a whopping 7.4 yards per carry, is a threat as a receiver (seven catches for 104 and two touchdowns) and is solid at picking up blitzes. Michael Shaw is the speed back who can get to the edge as we saw in the second half of last week’s game.

Michigan’s running game ranks seventh in the nation, averaging 257 yards per game. Much of that is thanks to Robinson, but the backs can get the job done.

Edge: Even

Receivers:

There’s no question who the go-to guy is for the Spartans. Senior B.J. Cunningham has 36 receptions (twice as many as the second-leading receiver) for 582 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks second in the Big Ten in yards per game and receptions per game and he’s a big-bodied NFL-type wideout who is hard to defend. He’s gone over 130 yards in three of the Spartans’ five games so far this season.

Keshawn Martin is the Spartans second-leading receiver with 19 receptions for 177 yards. He’s the slot guy who could terrorize Michigan’s defense tomorrow as it focuses on stopping Cunningham. Last season, he led MSU with six catches for 69 yards against Michigan. Outside of those two, only former quarterback Keith Nichol has more than 100 yards. He’s ok, but about as good a receiver as a former quarterback can be.

Michigan has several talented receivers with a lot of experience. Junior Hemingway is the number one guy and the main deep threat. He has become Michigan’s best jump-ball receiver since Braylon Edwards. His size allows him to outmuscle the defensive back and go up and get the ball. Sophomore Jeremy Gallon has emerged as Michigan’s second receiver and actually leads the Wolverines in receptions with 17. He has shown speed on the edge and an ability to turn a quick screen into yards. Roy Roundtree, last year’s leading receiver (and second-leading receiver in the Big Ten) has been quiet so far in his move to the outside, but is talented enough to demand respect from the defense.

Edge: Even

Offensive Line:

As was discussed above, Michigan State’s offensive line has underwhelmed thus far. With a trio of good running backs, the line has only paved the way for 128.8 rushing yards per game (79th nationally). It mustered just 71 yards on 31 attempts two weeks ago against Ohio State and 29 (!) yards on 23 attempts in a 31-13 loss to Notre Dame. The line is solid in pass protection, allowing a sack per game, but redshirt freshman center Travis Jackson will have his hands full tomorrow with Mike Martin.

Michigan’s line has been an asset all season, helping lead the nation’s seventh-best rushing attack and allowing just two sacks through six games. Center David Molk is the leader of the unit and a mid-season All-American according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. Left tackle Taylor Lewan is a beast and the rest of the guys have been solid. The unit has allowed just two sacks all season, bu the big test comes tomorrow.

Edge: Michigan

Defensive Line:

Worthy breaks through the line and sacks Braxton Miller before he can even hand it off

This is probably Michigan State’s biggest strength. The group is led by an NFL-caliber nose tackle in Jerel Worthy who practically lives in the backfield, as you can see in the photo. He’s impossible to single block and likes to jump the snap. How Molk handles Worthy will probably make a difference between good Denard and bad Denard.

The other star of the defensive line is sophomore end William Gholston. He’s always in the backfield as well and has the speed to chase down the running from behind on the backside, as he did a couple times against Ohio State.

Michigan’s defensive line is good too, led by senior Mike Martin. Ryan Van Bergen has blossomed into a good pass rusher and Craig Roh is improving weekly after a slow start. This may be the key matchup of the game – whether or not Michigan’s line can get consistent pressure on Cousins. If not, he’ll pick the defense apart.

Edge: Michigan State

Linebackers:

Sophomores Max Bullough and Denicos Allen are very good linebackers, reminiscent of classic Ohio State linebackers, which makes sense given that MSU Head Coach Mark Dantonio came from OSU. Allen leads the team in sacks (three) and tackles-for-loss (7.5). Bullough got a sack against Ohio State (but then again who didn’t?) and leads the team in tackles with 33.

Michigan’s linebackers have held up surprisingly well, much better than the past few years. It’s not a good unit by any means, but it’s slowly improving. Freshman Jake Ryan is going to be a great player at Michigan in the coming years but right now, he and Kenny Demens struggle to contain on the outside. Northwestern killed them in the first half before Mattison backed them up a step and put Ryan over the slot.

Edge: Michigan State

Secondary:

The Spartans are led by a pair of good safeties in Isaiah Lewis and Trenton Robinson. Robinson was Second-team All-Big Ten a year ago, while Lewis, a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection last season, has two picks. Sophomore defensive back Darquezze Dennard had his first career interception against Ohio State. The safeties like to creep up to the line of scrimmage and move around a lot before the snap. It’s safe to say one will be pulled up until Michigan proves it can beat them deep.

Michigan’s secondary is at least consistent this season. Freshman Blake Countess has emerged as a playmaker and is getting serious playing time in place of banged up Troy Woolfolk. The safeties Thomas Gordon and Jordan Kovacs are the stars of the secondary. Kovacs leads the team in sacks with three, none more important than the fourth-down sack of Persa last week (regardless of whether it was a facemask or not).

Edge: Even

Special Teams:

Michigan State’s one weakness might be its special teams. Punter Mike Sadler has booted 18 punts for an average of 40.1, but the net is just 33.68, which is 110th nationally. Kicker Dan Conroy has been around forever and is 6-of-9 this season with a long of 50. Redshirt freshman running back Nick Hill is the main kick returner, averaging 26.9 yards per return, while Keshawn Martin is a dangerous punt returner capable of breaking one.

That's right Dantonio. I'm coming to take back my cookies! (photo by the Ann Arbor News)

For Michigan, Will Hagerup has punted just three times since his return from suspension, averaging 37.7 per punt. Kicker Brendan Gibbons is 4-of-6, having had last week’s only attempt blocked. Gallon does a good job with punt returns, averaging 10.7 yards per, which is 23rd nationally.

Edge: Even

Coaches:

Mark Dantonio is a Jim Tressel disciple. Since coming to East Lansing in 2007, he has turned the program around and instilled a toughness and focus on beating Michigan. He has succeeded with that in three of four meetings. He’s a defensive-minded coach, but always seems to prepare special offensive packages just for Michigan.

Brady Hoke has a chance to do something no Michigan coach has done since 1948: beat Michigan State in his first attempt. If he does so, he’ll have Michigan as the front-runner for the Big Ten Legends Division title. His coordinators, Al Borges and Greg Mattison, have been brilliant all season, especially in the second half. Whether you call it coaching or adjustments, the proof is in the pudding as Michigan has outscored its opponents 114-21 in the second half through six games (and 62-7 in the fourth quarter).

While I think Michigan has the better coaches overall, until they can prove they can clear the green and white mid-season hurdle, I can’t give them the edge.

Edge: Push

Intangibles:

Michigan State has the momentum in the series, riding a three-game winning streak over Michigan. The game is in East Lansing and the Spartans will be wearing some ugly shiny South Florida new pro combat uniforms. The weather calls for a windy day which favors running games and Michigan’s running game is seventh in the nation. State’s is just 79th. In this rivalry, the team that won the running game has won 28 of the past 31 meetings. That favors Michigan.

Edge: Even

Spartan fans claim they’ve seen this story before for Michigan: Michigan starts fast, feasting on cupcakes, until State beat them and then it’s all downhill from there. The irony is that’s been the Spartans’ M.O. up until the past couple of seasons. But this isn’t the same team Michigan fielded the past three years. It has some of the same elements, but the offense is much more complex, the defense has actual coaching, and the head coach places a major emphasis on beating rivals. He’ll have the Wolverines focused.

I think it comes down to two factors: the offensive and defensive lines. Can Molk and company keep Worthy and Gholston from invading the backfield and pressuring Denard into back-foot throws? Conversely, can Martin, Van Bergen, and Roh get consistent pressure on Cousins? Michigan State likes to roll the pocket to hide the line’s protection weaknesses and throw a lot of short routes. Look for Mattison to change up the blitzes to try to force Cousins into some bad throws of which he is prone to make.

It’s important for Michigan to get off to a fast start to put pressure on MSU early, but either way, It’s going to come down to the end like most Michigan-Michigan State games do. I have no doubt Michigan will be able to move the ball pretty effectively by using a combination of quick screens and zone-read to neutralize the Spartan pass rush. If Michigan can finish off its drives like it has all season (with the exception of the first half last week) then it should be able to outscore MSU.

Prediction: Michigan 27 – Michigan State 23

Good to Know:

Michigan leads the all-time series 67-31-5 (34-22-2 since the Paul Bunyan trophy was introduced in 1953, and 30-11 since 1970)

Michigan has forced multiple turnovers in all six games this season and has a plus-six turnover margin, which is best in the Big Ten and 14th nationally. The 17 turnovers forced are just two short of last year’s season total

Michigan is 26-of-28 in the red zone so far this season, including touchdowns on 22 (79 percent) of those trips

Junior Hemingway is averaging 26.1 yards per reception, which ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the nation

After going scoreless in the first quarter through the first three games, Michigan has scored touchdowns on its first possession of the game in each of the last three games

Michigan has committed just 24 penalties so far (average of four per game), which ranks first in the Big Ten and tied for eighth nationally

Record Watch:

With one passing touchdown, Denard Robinson will tie Jim Harbaugh (1983-86) for 9th on Michigan’s career list. With three, he will tie Brian Griese (1994-97) for 8th With 38 rushing yards, Denard will pass Tim Biakabatuka (1993-95) for 10th on Michigan’s career rushing list. He can reach 9th and pass Gordon Bell (1973-75) with 128 With one rushing touchdown, Denard will move into a tie with Gordon Bell (1973-75) for 10th in career rushing touchdowns. With two, he will reach Butch Woolfolk (1978-81). And with three, he will tie Tom Harmon (1938-40) and Billy Taylor (1969-71) for 7th With 109 receiving yards, Junior Hemingway could move into the top 20 in career receiving yards, passing Ralph Clayton (1976-79), John Kolesar (1985-88), and Adrian Arrington (2004-07)

When Brady Hoke was named head coach in January, he immediately set the tone by referring to Ohio State as simply Ohio and made it very clear that beating Ohio was one of the supreme goals each season. And so we at Maize and Go Blue are taking it upon ourselves to dedicate a little time each week to our rival as well. In this weekly segment, we’ll give a brief recap of the previous week’s game and what it means for Michigan. For a full rundown of our rivals’ games, see Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5.

Last week we saw this week’s opponent, Michigan State, shut down Ohio State on the road, while Notre Dame blew out an overmatched Purdue squad in West Lafayette.

The Irish and Buckeyes are going in opposite directions. Notre Dame has rebounded from two losses to start the season, while Ohio State can’t find its offense with Joe Bauserman at the helm and has turned to relying on freshman Braxton Miller.

Michigan State, meanwhile, is chugging along after falling to Notre Dame in Week 3, and heads into this week’s matchup fresh off a bye week. So how did the teams far on Saturday?

Ohio State: Lost to #14 Nebraska 27-34 Record: 3-3 For three quarters it looked as if Ohio State had risen from the dead and was poised to continue Nebraska’s rude Big Ten awakening. But when Miller went down in the third with a sprained ankle after guiding the Buckeyes to a 27-6 lead, Bauserman came in and erased any hope OSU had of returning home above .500. Miller wasn’t outstanding – he completed 5-of-8 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 91 yards on 10 carries – but he wasn’t awful like Bauserman either. The Husker comeback started when Miller fumbled, allowing Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez to score the Big Red’s first touchdown of the day. There was no looking back from there as Martinez threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Enunwa and a 30-yarder to Rex Burkhead to tie the game. Ohio State punted it back to Nebraska and Burkhead ran for the winning score a few plays later. Bauserman assured himself a big fat spot on the bench the rest of the season with a 1-for-10 performance for just 13 yards and an interception. Miller’s just a freshman and prone to making mistakes, but he at least gives Ohio State a viable run/pass threat on the reins. If he’s not able to go due to injury, Ohio State is as good as dead. One thing Michigan fans can take away from this one is Ohio State exposed Nebraska’s defense much like Wisconsin did a week prior. The Buckeyes rushed for 243 yards on 5.9 yards per carry. That bodes well for Michigan when the Huskers come to town in mid-November. Next: Saturday at #16 Illinois (6-0, 2-0) – 3:30pm on ABC Prediction: Illinois 31 – Ohio 17 A dejected Luke Fickell leaves the field after blowing a 21-point third quarter lead (photo by Nati Harnik, AP)

Michigan State: Bye Record: 4-1 (1-0) Michigan State got a week off to prepare for this Saturday’s battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. With Mark Dantonio in East Lansing, MSU is 1-1 after the bye week, narrowly beating Purdue 35-31 last season, and falling to Penn State 49-14 in 2008. Next: Saturday v. #11 Michigan (6-0, 2-0) Prediction: Check back for my game preview on Friday morning

Notre Dame: Beat Air Force 59-33 Record: 4-2 Notre Dame exhibited probably its best offensive performance of the season on Saturday with a 59-33 win over Air Force. The Irish stormed out of the gates to a 35-9 lead and led 42-16 at the half thanks to four Tommy Rees touchdown passes. ND flashed near perfect offensive balance with 294 passing yards on 36 attempts and 266 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Rees finished 23-of-32 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Most importantly, he didn’t commit a turnover that plagued him at the beginning of the season. Andrew Hendrix led the Irish in rushing with six carries for 111 yards, while Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood split the rest with 69 and 66 yards, respectively. Gray scored a pair of touchdowns and Wood scored one. Notre Dame’s defense, which completely shut down Purdue a week earlier, was the sore spot, giving up 565 total yards including 363 on the ground. Much of that was in garbage time late in the fourth quarter, however, as Air Fore scored two touchdowns in the final four-and-a-half minutes. Notre Dame is blossoming into the team it was projected to be at the start of the season. With a fairly soft schedule remaining, it’s likely to have just one or two more tough games. USC is entirely beatable two weeks from now, while Navy will give the Irish a test the following week and a visit to Stanford is the least winnable game left. As hard as it is to do so, Michigan fans should root for the Irish to win out and move its way into the polls. It will only help Michigan’s BCS standings the rest of the season, especially if Michigan beats Michigan State this Saturday, who Notre Dame beat convincingly. Next: Saturday v. Air Force (3-1) – 3:30pm on NBC Prediction: Notre Dame 34 – Air Force 24 Notre Dame is feeling the love after four straight wins (photo by Michael Conroy, AP)