The Michigan State-Michigan rivalry has already given fans plenty to argue about, and this year’s meeting in Ann Arbor arrives with both sides carrying more questions than usual.
MSU coach Pat Fitzgerald is set for his first shot at the in-state rival on Nov. 7, but the Spartans come in on a six-game skid and sitting at 2-6 overall, 0-5 in the Big Ten. Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham is also new to the annual clash, and the Wolverines have had their own uneven stretch, escaping Rutgers last week to move to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. The 7:30 p.m. kickoff still puts bragging rights on the line for the next year, even if the buildup feels a little muted in East Lansing.
Still, this rivalry has produced some unforgettable finishes over the past four decades. The State Journal is asking readers to pick the best one, with voting open through Friday morning.
Here are the six games in the running:
Oct. 13, 1990 - MSU 28, Michigan 27
Michigan came in ranked No. 1 despite a 3-1 record, and it looked like the Wolverines were about to survive when they scored with 6 seconds left to cut the deficit to 28-27 at Michigan Stadium. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie, U-M went for two.
Desmond Howard got free from Eddie Brown, but Brown tripped him as the pass arrived. The ball slipped off Howard’s hands, no flag came out, and the unranked Spartans pulled off the upset.
Oct. 9, 1999 - MSU 34, Michigan 31
This one matched two unbeaten top-10 teams, and MSU jumped out fast behind quarterback Bill Burke and receiver Plaxico Burress. The Spartans built what looked like a comfortable lead before Michigan senior Tom Brady, who didn’t start, entered and sparked two late touchdown drives. MSU, coached by Nick Saban, held on by three.
Nov. 3, 2001 - Michigan State 26, No. 6 Michigan 24
Michigan led 24-20 late, and MSU had one last shot from just a few yards away with no timeouts left. The Spartans spiked the ball, and the clock appeared to stop on one second instead of running out.
That gave MSU one final play, and Jeff Smoker scrambled before throwing an off-balance pass that T.J. Duckett caught for the winning touchdown.
Plenty of fans still know it as the “Spartan Bob” game, a nod to Bob Stehlin, the MSU-appointed timekeeper.
Oct. 25, 2008 - Michigan State 35, Michigan 21
MSU had gone more than six years without the Paul Bunyan Trophy, and it had not won in Ann Arbor since 1990. Under Mark Dantanio, the Spartans broke through with a play-action touchdown pass from Brian Hoyer to fullback Josh Rouse. Hoyer and Blair White played big roles, but Javon Ringer carried the load with 194 yards on 37 carries, doing it just days after tearing a knee ligament.
Oct. 17, 2015 - MSU 27, Michigan 23
This is the one forever tied to “Trouble with the snap!” Blake O’Neill’s punt mishap in the final seconds turned a Michigan lead into disaster.
With U-M ahead 23-21 and 10 seconds left, O’Neill fumbled the snap, Jalen Watts-Jackson scooped the ball out of the air and raced in for the winning touchdown as time expired. The TV cameras caught the stunned faces of Michigan fans in the stands.
Kenneth Walker III also delivered a monster performance in that game. He scored five touchdowns, including a go-ahead run from 23 yards out with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, as MSU erased a 16-point deficit. Walker finished with 23 carries for 197 yards and five touchdowns, with three scores in the second half and three runs of 20 yards or more.
In Other News...
Michigan State's Opener Revealed A New Look That Could Matter Fast
Tom Izzo wasted little time tinkering with Michigan States opening-night look, and the changes were hard to miss against Quinnipiac. Coen Carr slid into the power forward spot, Jasiah Jervis got the start at shooting guard, and transfer Anton Bonke was in the first five as well, giving the Spartans a different blend than they showed in the exhibition games. It was the kind of early-season adjustment Izzo often makes when he thinks a lineup can be sharpened quickly, and this one had immediate consequences on both ends of the floor.
Carr responded with a lively all-around effort, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal in 25 minutes, while Bonke made his presence felt inside with 13 rebounds and 11 points in 19 minutes. For Michigan State, the bigger question now is whether this was simply an opener experiment or the start of a more permanent reshuffling, because the Spartans already have evidence that the new alignment can change the teams balance in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Opener Raised An Early Rotation Debate Fans Will Notice
Michigan State opened its season with a look that immediately gave fans something to track beyond the final score. Jesse McCulloch was unavailable because of a head injury, but he was still on the bench, and Tom Izzo answered by rolling out a small-ball starting group of Jeremy Fears, Jasiah Jervis, Jordan Scott, Coen Carr and Anton Bonke. It was a lineup built for speed and versatility, and it signaled that the Spartans are willing to mix things up early as they sort through the frontcourt.
The first half offered a glimpse of why the approach was worth watching, with Fears and Medlock providing key scoring support while Bonke made his presence felt on the glass. Even without McCulloch on the floor, Michigan State found enough balance to take a halftime lead, which only sharpens the conversation about how Izzo wants to use his pieces once the roster is whole again. For a team with real depth questions to answer, the opener already hinted at a rotation debate that could linger. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Just Showed Why Izzo Has A New Early Decision
Michigan State opened the regular season in the kind of lopsided fashion that usually tells you a lot about a team before the schedule gets any harder, rolling past Quinnipiac 96-59 at the Breslin Center. The Spartans looked deep from the start, with Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr and freshman Carlos Medlock all turning in strong showings as Tom Izzos group controlled the game in transition, on the glass and around the basket.
The broader takeaway was less about the final margin than the way Michigan State piled up advantages in the areas that tend to travel once Big Ten play arrives. Fastbreak points, rebounding and post scoring all tilted heavily in the Spartans favor, giving Izzo an early look at a roster that already appears to have multiple ways to beat teams. For a program trying to establish its identity right away, this was the kind of opener that can shape the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]