Michigan walked into Saturday night as a two-touchdown favorite and walked out with one of its ugliest losses in years.
Michigan State, a two-win team entering the game, came into Ann Arbor and beat the Wolverines 15-6, handing Michigan a humbling defeat that ranks among its worst since the 2020 loss to the Spartans. The result fit the kind of game this rivalry can produce, but it also exposed just how far Michigan has fallen.
The simplest way to say it: this can’t happen. Michigan is three years removed from a national title, yet it lost to a Michigan State team that had only two wins coming in and now has three. The Wolverines are surviving almost entirely on defense, because the offense has become one of the weakest units among Four Power teams.
That side of the ball looked broken again on Saturday. Michigan managed only 192 total yards and was beaten badly on the ground, with Michigan State controlling the rushing battle 110-54. The Wolverines also turned it over four times, which made an already bad offensive night even harder to survive.
The first half was especially bleak. Michigan was shut out before halftime for the third straight home game, something Steve Clarke noted had not happened since 1934. The Wolverines produced just 78 yards in the opening half and never found a rhythm.
The quarterback situation didn’t provide a lift either. Tommy Carr had shown signs of life in last week’s 28-21 win over Rutgers, when he threw for 266 yards and ran for 54.
Back in Ann Arbor, though, he looked overwhelmed. He threw an interception on his second pass attempt, had several throws sail high, and nearly got picked off late in the second quarter after Michigan State had gone ahead 3-0 on a field goal.
The Spartans also did a good job of spying him, which kept him from using his legs the way he had in the previous two games.
The bigger issue is that the offense has not changed much at all through nine games. It doesn’t scare defenses, and it made Michigan State look far better than a two-win team should.
The Wolverines’ struggles have now reached the point where the offense is drawing comparisons to Michigan’s 2008 unit under Rich Rodriguez, a three-win team. The difference this time is that the 2026 defense has bailed Michigan out in most of its victories.
Special teams added another layer to the mess. After transfer Trey Butkowski had missed four of his last six kicks, Michigan made a change and turned to freshman Jacob Baggett.
His first try, a 26-yarder, hit the left upright and bounced away. Punter Cameron Brown is still struggling as well, and the unit remains a problem after coming into the season with expectations that Kerry Coombs would make a major impact.
There was some improvement in the bowl game against Texas, but 2026 has been a disappointment across the board.
And then there’s the coaching situation. Kyle Whittingham is likely on the brink of being one-and-done at Michigan, and Saturday’s result won’t help his case.
If he is going to get more time, he’ll need to make the “difficult decisions” he has talked about before. Jason Beck’s offensive game plan is also under fire, and the 28 points against Rutgers now looks like an outlier rather than a turning point.
With Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State still ahead, the schedule isn’t offering much relief.
For Michigan, the loss wasn’t just bad. It was revealing.
In Other News...
Michigan State Just Gave Pat Fitzgerald His First Defining Win
Michigan States 15-6 win over Michigan gave Pat Fitzgerald a signature moment early in his tenure, and it came in the kind of game that can tell you a lot about a programs direction. The Spartans had to piece things together through injuries and roster challenges, but they still found enough from Tommy Carr, Brandon Tullis, Chrishon McCray and a steady special teams effort to grind out a result that felt bigger than a single rivalry game.
For Fitzgerald, the value of the victory goes beyond the scoreboard. Michigan State did not just survive a difficult afternoon, it showed the sort of toughness and structure that coaches spend months trying to build, especially when the roster is stretched thin. A win like this can become a reference point for a new era, and the Spartans now have one to point to as they keep shaping what this team is supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Dantonio Had The Perfect Reaction To Michigan State's Rivalry Win
Michigan States rivalry win over Michigan landed as one of those results that instantly travels beyond the box score, especially with the Spartans pulling it off as a double-digit underdog. The game had the kind of defensive edge that tends to define this matchup, and for a program still measuring itself against its biggest in-state rival, it carried the sort of weight that goes well beyond one afternoon.
Mark Dantonio noticed. The former Michigan State coach took to social media to celebrate the upset, nodding back to his famous line about the rivalry and reminding everyone how deeply these games can resonate around East Lansing. Under current coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Spartans now have a victory that fits squarely into the programs larger culture, even if the conversation around it is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Finally Turned Its Season-Long Fight Into A Rivalry Statement
Michigan State finally got the kind of result it had been chasing all season, and it came in the most familiar setting imaginable. In Pat Fitzgeralds first Big Ten win as the Spartans head coach, MSU beat Michigan 15-7 in a game defined by field position, turnovers and a defense that kept the pressure on from start to finish.
The Spartans did not need an explosive offensive night to make the statement stand up, settling for five field goals and leaning on a defense that came up with interceptions to help swing the game. Fitzgerald pointed to the defensive game plan and the way his players kept responding to adversity, which made the win feel less like a one-off and more like a sign that Michigan State is starting to harden into something different. [Read more 🡒]