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The Michigan Wolverines Versus The Michigan State Spartans Football Rivalry – 2020 Edition

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By Larry Daniels

In-state college football rivalries are among the most anticipated games on the schedule for many teams across the country. The U of M and MSU clash is no exception. Maize and Blue vs. Green and White, Ann Arbor vs. East Lansing, brother vs. brother, bragging rights for the whole year. In Michigan, fans wear their school’s colors. They fly their favorite team’s flags at their homes. Offices are decorated like shrines this week.

The history of this game dates back to 1898. The teams have played each other 112 times. The winner of each year’s game receives the Paul Bunyan trophy, a 4-ft wooden statue of a lumberjack that was first presented in 1953 to commemorate Michigan State’s beginning football competition as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan leads the series with an overall record of 71-36-5. With the arrival of Fritz Chrysler as Michigan’s head coach in 1938, the Wolverines then won 12 consecutive games. During the 1950s and 1960s under head coaches Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans had their most prolonged period of success against the Wolverines compiling a record of 14-4-2. Coach Bo Schembechler and his successors won 30 of 38 contests from 1970 to 2007. After Mike Hart’s statement in 2007, referring to the Spartans as the Wolverines’ ” little brother”, the Spartans rallied the troops under head coach Mark Dantonio, winning seven of eight games from 2008 to 2015. Since 2016, head coach Jim Harbaugh of Michigan has managed to win three of four games.

Let’s take a look at some of the key players in this year’s matchup.

For Michigan:

Quarterback Joe Milton. The 6’5”, 243 lb Junior QB threw for 225 yards and one touchdown, completing 15 out of 22 pass attempts against the 21st ranked Minnesota Gophers last Saturday. Joe has a really nice arm and runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. His size reminds you a lot of Cam Newton.

Running back Hassan Haskins. The 6’1”, 220 lb Junior RB ran for 82 yds.(leading the team) on six carries and scored two touchdowns against the Gophers last Saturday. Coach Jim Harbaugh complimented Haskins for his ability to “find lanes” and “finish runs”.
Linebacker Michael Barrett. The 6’0”, 227 lb. Junior LB was all over the field in the victory against Minnesota. Coach Harbaugh stated he was the player of the game for both the defense and special teams, the first time that has happened since Jabrill Peppers wore the uniform.

For Michigan State:

Quarterback Rocky Lombardi. The 6’4”, 225 Redshirt Junior quarterback completed 31 of 44 pass attempts with 319 yards and three touchdowns in a loss against Rutgers on Saturday. Rocky also had two fumbles and two interceptions. I have to believe Lombardi will perform much better against Michigan this Saturday.

Running back Jordan Simmons. The 5’11”, 194 lb Freshman running back didn’t find much running room against Rutgers, managing only 43 yards on 14 carries last Saturday. Look for a bounce back performance, which rivalry games usually spark for Jordan.

Cornerback Shakur Brown. The 5’11” Redshirt Junior cornerback had a pick from being slotted in as the nickel back in the Spartans 4-2-5 defense. The defensive backs as a group held Rutgers to only 169 yards passing on the afternoon.

It is on. From the Big House on Fox at 12pm this Saturday, the 31st, in Ann Arbor, the Michigan Wolverines will battle The Michigan State Spartans for ownership of The Paul Bunyan Governor’s Trophy. It will be bigger than when Neil Armstrong jumped off the ladder on the moon.

Okay, maybe not that big, but pretty close.

There will be friendly wagers placed among friends and co-workers. My team is Michigan. I bleed Blue. One year, the evil Spartans took down my mighty Wolverines. The wager was for the losing side to wear the other team’s gear for the day. I wore the appropriate gear and took my medicine like the man I am. But wait! There’s more. My co-worker had photo shopped my head onto the body of a Spartan cheerleader and posted the picture in our break room for 200 people to see every day. It killed me. They left it up for a month. My boss smirked at me every day when we ran into each other.

In the year that nothing is for certain, it is my solemn wish that both teams bring out their best and stay injury / illness free. If I have to wear Spartan gear, so be it. I may even post the picture to honor the wager.

Enjoy everybody! Peace.

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