Tom Izzo didn’t just show up for Michigan State’s football rivalry win over Michigan. He helped set the tone for it.
The longtime Spartans basketball coach was on the sideline during warmups before MSU’s 15-6 upset in Ann Arbor on Saturday, and he had already spent time around the football program earlier in the season as well, including the Week 3 trip to Notre Dame. This time, the visit came with a victory - and with a small role in the buildup.
Izzo was part of the team’s preparation for the annual showdown, offering a message built around the kind of moments he has always tried to create across Michigan State athletics. In a video shared by MSU football’s official accounts, he told the team, “Just share this moment together,” and added, “Because in those three hours of work, over the thousands of hours you’ve done, you’re going to make a memory for a lot of people. You’re going to make a memory that’s going to last you 70 years.”
He kept going with the same theme: “When you’re dying, you’re laying on that bed, you’re going to say, ‘You know what? I started the tradition at Michigan State.
We got it (Paul Bunyan) back. My class got it back.
We’re going to start kicking ass and taking names.’”
Michigan State certainly gave its fans something to remember. The win snapped a six-game losing streak and gave the Spartans their first victory in the rivalry since Kenneth Walker III’s five-touchdown performance in 2021.
Izzo said the point of his message was to remind the players that the game still matters, even in a complicated moment beyond football.
“I’ve seen wins down there (in Ann Arbor); I’ve seen losses,” Izzo said about his speech. “I’ve seen wins here (at Spartan Stadium); I’ve seen losses.
I just wanted to try to get across to them that rivalries still are important, even though our world is screwed up right now. They still are important.”
He’s seen enough of these matchups to know how unusual this one felt before kickoff. And from his perspective, the result fit into a broader run of positive energy around MSU athletics.
“There’s been a lot of good things happening,” Izzo said about MSU athletics as a whole. “None bigger than that football game, and the way we won the game, I thought, was really impressive.”
Izzo also had a front-row view of the emotional aftermath of Michigan State’s losses to Illinois and Northwestern, and what he saw there made him believe the football team was closer than the record suggested.
“His (Fitzgerald’s) speech was short and sweet both games,” Izzo said. “I watched how immediately each position coach took their group -- receivers here, you know... and just a little three-minute conversation there. And then I watched the most fun thing to watch: how are the players going to respond?”
He said the response told him plenty.
“Is somebody going to throw his helmet on the thing and say, ‘This is BS?’ Is someone going to do this?
Is someone going to do that? I saw some of the coolest things I haven’t seen in many, many years.
I saw tears. I saw hugs.
I saw people rallying together, and I went and told my team that. A couple days later at practice, I said, ‘I don’t know when it’s going to be, but they’re going to win some games.’”
In Other News...
Mel Tucker Is Trying To Change The Vibe Around Spartan Football
With Washington coming to town, Michigan State has spent the lead-up trying to make sure the atmosphere matches the opponent. Mel Tucker and athletic director Dan Bartholomae have been out in the student community, making the rounds at local bars, speaking directly to students and pushing them to show up and bring some life back to Spartan football. The pitch has gone beyond words, too, with tickets and concession vouchers handed out as part of the effort.
It is the kind of outreach that says the program understands the game-day vibe has become part of the story around this team. Michigan State is trying to tighten the bond between the football program and the Spartan community, and the timing matters with a marquee nonconference game on deck. Whether all of that translates into a fuller student section and a louder stadium will be one of the more interesting things to watch once kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Roberts Could Change Everything For MSU Against Washington
Michigan States injury report is starting to look a little more encouraging heading into Washington, and the biggest name on it is defensive lineman Ben Roberts. After being sidelined by injury, Roberts has been upgraded to questionable for the matchup, a sign the Spartans may be getting closer to full strength at a spot where depth can matter in a hurry. Cornerbacks Charles Brantley and Tre Bell, along with backup quarterback Cam Fancher, are also in the questionable mix, leaving plenty of uncertainty as the Spartans prepare for a game that could hinge on availability as much as scheme.
Washington has its own injury question to sort through with star quarterback Demond Williams Jr. also listed as questionable, adding another layer to a game already shaped by health concerns on both sides. Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald has said he is hopeful some of the injured players can work their way back later this season, which makes this week feel like more than just a single-game update. For a team trying to stabilize itself, getting Roberts back on the field could be a meaningful step if he is able to go. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Women Just Showed How Dangerous This Deep Roster Can Be
Michigan States women kept rolling with a 91-50 win over Oakland, and the most encouraging part for the Spartans was how many different players shaped the game. Theryn Hallock set the tone with a strong all-around showing, while freshmen Manique Bobongie and Lily Williams made their presence felt on both ends of the floor. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone this roster has more than one way to take control of a game.
Kennedy Blair added another layer to that depth with aggressive defense, rebounding and playmaking as Michigan State stayed comfortably ahead throughout. For a team trying to build momentum, wins like this matter not just because of the margin, but because they show how quickly the rotation can produce impact from top to bottom. The Spartans looked deep, active and difficult to match, which is exactly the sort of problem opponents will have to solve going forward. [Read more 🡒]