2018 Michigan gameday #8: at Michigan State

What can I tell you that you haven't already heard?  It's #6 Michigan, with six straight wins after the opening loss to Notre Dame, headed up to East Lansing to face another rival, the 4-2 Spartans, ranked #24 despite a 4-2 record thanks to a fluky win at Penn State last Saturday.  It's a trophy game, there's stakes, and the animosity is high.  It's also a series dominated by Michigan (69-36-5) despite what those who pull for Michigan State will tell you as they put on their blinders and limit their world view to the last decade.

Indeed, MSU has won eight of the last ten, a period of success matched only by the 1950s and 60s, when the Spartans took advantage of a dormant program in Ann Arbor to go 14-4-2.  Then Bo came on the scene and things got back to normal; from his first year coaching the Wolverines through the last year of Lloyd Carr Michigan went 30-8.  The RichRod and Hoke years weren't as kind to the Maize and Blue with Michigan State once again on the rise.

But, as today's MGoBlog Punt/Counterpunt feature will remind you, this is a simple rivalry where, aside from a few flukes (a bad snap, a cheating clock operator, refs ignoring blatant pass interference, etc.), the better team wins.  So let's let it come down to that.

There were moments in last week's huge victory against Wisconsin that the game looked like it was up for grabs.  Michigan left some points on the board thanks to missed opportunities, and led by just six at halftime.  But the defense held, limiting the Badgers to a garbage time TD late after the coaching staff inexplicably packed it in early.  The dominance of a team with a quality offensive line was a great sign for Jim Harbaugh's guys and that continues the roll they've been on since getting knocked down in week 1.

Meanwhile, State has plenty of question marks on offense besides a pretty good QB and one excellent WR, plus a defense that can handle runs and not much else.  This is a team Wolverines fans love to beat because of conference championship goals and bragging rights, not to mention shoving it in the face of perpetually grumpy hypocrite coach Mark Dantonio, who owns a dictionary with the word "consequences" crossed out.  But as with Maryland, even though it can't erase the shameful results of a toxic environment, there's some feeling of satisfaction a win can bring.  It's frustrating that the corrupt, tone-deaf administration in East Lansing is allowed to continue to operate, but at least defeating its sports teams can deal a blow to the ignorant apologists.

That's a lot to say for one simple message:  just win.  There will be no getting "outcoached", no excuse that one team was "unprepared" or "unmotivated".  The better team will win today, and I hope that results in my Wolverines bringing Paul Bunyan back to Ann Arbor where he belongs.

LET'S GO BLUE

2017 Michigan gameday #5: vs. Michigan State

Blue and Joe, MGoBlog

It's early October and I got to wear shorts today as the high climbed into the 80s.  That makes me a very happy camper--the old gridiron cliche of "football weather" never worried me much, and I promise we'll get plenty of that soon enough.

Still, it's a great day for the sport, not to mention a matchup that sees Michigan's number one two three rival Michigan State head to Ann Arbor for an ill-advised evening tilt.  I mean, people get rowdy enough when they haven't had about seven extra hours to "pre-game", and that's before taking into account the folks in East Lansing, who've never met a couch they didn't burn.

For the Spartans, this is the date that's circled on the calendar every year--MSU's Super Bowl, the game where they deploy the entire arsenal (and then some) as they furiously try to shake off the "Little Brother" moniker (famously bestowed upon them by Mike Hart) by...completely obsessing over the more relevant in-state team with a series record of 69-35-5.

For Michigan this game offers a chance of reaching 5-0 and continuing conference play with an unblemished record.  It's also an opportunity to see what they've got in backup-turned-starting QB John O'Korn, a guy who jumpstarted the relatively stagnant offense after coming on in relief of injured starter Wilton Speight two weeks ago at Purdue.  And finally, it gives fans across the country another look at DC Don Brown's ferocious defense, a group that surely spent the bye week filling up on milk and steak to refuel for this matchup.

Come 7:30 the Wolverines will be back to work against their #1 (in-state) rival as they look to add another win to the record books, something that would make a very nice present for birthday boy Charles Woodson (41 years young today), a guy who knew a thing or two about beating State...

...in some cases, one hand at a time. 

Take care of business and let old Paul Bunyan stay where he's nice and comfortable.

Let's.

Go.

Blue.

Cards imitate life imitating art, or, putting the "art" in "Sparty"

A couple Saturdays ago I was glad to see my Wolverines end a very uncharacteristic losing streak to Michigan State.  After the game I gave some consideration to doing something card-related to celebrate over here, but then I decided that the win was very much expected given the way that the Spartans have cratered this year.  Also, I'm lazy.

But then this past week I had been sorting through a bunch of cards for various projects and happened to come up with a handful of Spartans in their college and/or pro unis.  "I could do something with these," I thought.  This weekend's gorgeous weather--65 and sunny in early November!--was the final bit of inspiration I needed.

Let's fire up the old grill!

Part of the card destruction inspiration came from back in April when Tim (GSHNoF) included a Buckeye in a trade package he sent me.  That's not how I roll, so into the garbage disposal it went!

This time I thought I'd take advantage of the mild temperature and sunny skies by roasting a few Spartans.  After all, when isn't there a couch burning in East Lansing?  So here's my contribution towards cards as an art form.  Also, naturally, it finally got me to do a nice thorough cleaning of my grill, which definitely needed it.

Go Blue!

2016 Michigan gameday #8: at Michigan State

They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but Spartans can't count that high, so I won't use too many today...

BEAT STATE!

LET'S GO BLUE!

2015 Michigan gameday #7: vs. Michigan State

The leaves are changing colors and falling.  The sky is clouding up and the temperature is most definitely on the decline.  Yep--it's officially football weather©, and right on time for one of Michigan's bigger games of the season.

The 5-1 Wolverines have a ton of momentum on their side as they welcome Mark D'Antonio and the Michigan State Early Prison Release Program Spartans, an undefeated squad that has valiantly dispatched the likes of Purdue and Rutgers recently.

But of course the Spartans will have focused almost exclusively on this game all year, so nothing's a given.  Still, I'm hopeful we see a lot of this today:

Jim Harbaugh has effected an amazing turnaround halfway through his first year as head coach, and even if he won't let any reporters catching him saying it, he knows it's time to restore the Natural Order of Things that has seen Michigan absolutely own this "rivalry" 68-34-5.  The Wolverines have gone just 1-6 in the last seven, but I have a feeling Harbaugh will turn that number on its head very soon.  For this afternoon, let's just focus on returning to the status quo of beating State at least two-thirds of the time.

LET'S GO BLUE!

 

2014 Michigan Gameday #8: at Michigan State

Michigan rides a one-game winning streak--thanks to Penn State and a bye--into East Lansing for a tilt against the rival Spartans.  The Wolverines are 3-4 and continue to search for reasons to rise from the ashes while #8 MSU is 6-1 and shooting for the newly-created four-team playoff.

State has uncharacteristically won five of the last six games, though Michigan is 19-12 in the series during my lifetime, plus a dominating 68-33 (with five ties) overall.

2014 is also the 10-year anniversary of the Braylon game.  For most Michigan fans, you probably already know what I mean without saying anything else.  For the rest of you, that's one of the most famous entries in the entire series.  Unranked State gave the #12 Wolverines all they could, and were up by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter before the Henne-to-Braylon connection flipped the script.  In front of a smaller crowd--many had left dejectedly--the Wolverines pulled out a thrilled in triple OT with the winning TD caught by Edwards, who'd also nabbed two scores in the insane fourth quarter.

The roles are kind of reversed this year, but in rivalry series like this one, anything can and will happen.  I just hope the ghosts of the Michigan greats from the rivalry smile down on the Maize and Blue in East Lansing this afternoon.

LET'S GO BLUE!

 

This Week on MSO-Wolverines

It’s Sunday, time to recap the pictures that I post on My Sports Obsession – Wolverines blog.

After clinching at least a tie for the Big Ten Championship yesterday, it worked out that this post is basketball heavy.  Now let’s cheer for 2 more wins to clinch an outright championship instead of a shared one.  Not to mention, who the hell wants to lose.

Michigan takes down little brother again.

Vintage T-shirt

Trey Burke – Skills champ

Tim Hardaway jr.

Gerald Ford (1934)

Highlights from Michigan’s loss to Wisconsin

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Trey Burke

Olympic Sprinter Ed Tolan (1929)

Trey Burke

Alley-Oop to Glen Robinson III

Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber

Glenn Robinson III portrait designed with the lyrics to Hail to the Victors

If you had trouble loading all these pics, you can also view them at My Sports Obsession – Wolverines, be sure to follow us on Facebook as well so you can share your love for the Wolverines with all your friends.  I’ll be back next Sunday.

Michigan gameday 2013 #8: at Michigan State

Michigan heads northwest this afternoon for a 3:30 showing of this year's version of the state's biggest football rivalry.  The Wolverines own a commanding series lead over their little brother, 68-32-5.  The Spartans have come on recently, including a very rare four-game win streak that ended last year.  The games are just about always close, the stakes are always high (as are MSU students), and the Spartan fans are always obnoxious and ignorant.  What's left to say?  Just

LET'S GO BLUE!

 

(No such thing as) Too Many Brunettes

In honor of this man right here,

As found on MGoBlog.com

this here blog will be entitled "Too Many Brunettes" for one week.  Today was an ugly slobberknocker of a Big Ten game, the playcalling was extremely questionable again, and Denard had his struggles.  But.  But everyone came through when it counted the most, and now Mark Dantonio can go back to being an irrelevant, hypocritical asshole who gives his ex-con players carte blanche to do whatever the fuck they want.  And Michigan can continue their quest for what matters most to Coach Hoke:  a Big Ten title.  GO BRUNETTES, AND GO BLUE!

And all the others that make this world a better place, for you, for me, and for Michigan Wolverine placekickers!