Michigan and Michigan State meet Saturday in Ann Arbor with both programs trying to shake off ugly seasons, but the rivalry gives the game a chance to feel bigger than the records.
Michigan State enters at 2-6 overall and 0-5 in the Big Ten, riding six straight losses and sitting tied with Maryland for last place in the conference. First-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald has made it clear the matchup matters inside the Spartans’ program.
"I mean, from the minute I took the job, I think I was pretty clear that I understood what this rivalry meant," Fitzgerald said. "Once I landed here in December, it was pretty crystal clear exactly what this game means. Since Day 1 it's been top of mind here in our program."
The Spartans also come in with an extra week to get ready after their bye, and that break could matter on the injury front. Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who has thrown for 1,263 yards and seven touchdowns, is questionable after missing Michigan State’s 28-10 loss to UCLA on Oct. 24 with an unspecified injury.
Michigan, meanwhile, is 5-3 and 2-3 in the conference after edging Rutgers 28-21 on the road last week. The spark came from freshman quarterback Tommy Carr, who made his second start after replacing benched five-star Bryce Underwood.
Carr completed 22 of 27 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, and he added 54 rushing yards and two more scores to give a dormant Michigan offense a much-needed lift.
"I liked everything about what he did," Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We know it's only one game, but if you project that one game throughout the season, he'd be the best quarterback in the country statistically."
Carr now gets his first crack at the rivalry and a chance to help Michigan win a fifth straight meeting.
"It's intense, obviously," Whittingham said ahead of his first taste of the rivalry. "A lot of nastiness in it.
I guess there was a fight in the tunnel a couple of years ago. It's a game that with both teams, you can almost throw out the records and whatever else has gone on.
It's its own entity and you've got to be ready to play."
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