Michigan and Michigan State are set to add another chapter to a rivalry that has been going since 1953, with the Paul Bunyan Trophy on the line again Saturday, Nov. 7.
This will be the 119th meeting between the Wolverines and Spartans and the 74th time the trophy is at stake. Michigan enters with a 75-38-5 edge in the series and a 42-29-2 lead in trophy games. The Wolverines have also taken the last four meetings, their longest run in the rivalry since a six-game stretch from 2002-07.
The trophy itself has plenty of history behind it. Then-Michigan Gov.
G. Mennen Williams introduced it in 1953, and Michigan State won the first game played for it, 14-6.
The prize features a four-foot wooden statue of Paul Bunyan standing on a map of Michigan, with flags showing the block M and Michigan State’s Spartan S. The statue sits on a five-foot wooden base, making the whole thing nearly 9 feet tall.
Michigan has had stretches of control in this series before, too. From 1970 through the mid-1980s, the Wolverines won 13 of 14 trophy games, including a trophy-record eight straight from 1970-77.
Saturday’s matchup also fits a recent trend: it will be the fifth straight night game in the series, and Michigan has won the previous four. The Wolverines are 1-0 in night games this season after beating Western Michigan in the opener, and they’ve been especially strong in those late kickoffs overall. Michigan is 56-29 in games that start after 5 p.m. local time, 12-1 in night games since the start of the 2023 season and has won 16 of its last 17 games with kickoffs after 5 p.m. local time.
At Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines have a 52-23-3 record against the Spartans. They’ve won the last two home meetings, in 2022 and 2024, and are 14-6 in the last 20 games played in Ann Arbor.
On offense, Michigan has leaned on quarterback Tommy Carr, who has completed 71% of his passes in two starts. He’s 42 of 59 for 433 yards with two passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns this season.
Carr made his first career start against Indiana and picked up his first win as a starter at Rutgers. Against Rutgers, he completed 22 of 27 passes, an 81.4% rate that set a Michigan record for a freshman starting quarterback with at least 20 attempts.
The Wolverines also have big-play options around him. JJ Buchanan leads the team with 611 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns, and he has posted two 100-yard receiving games this season, including a 130-yard outing against Iowa.
Andrew Marsh has 375 receiving yards and reached 1,000 career receiving yards in Michigan’s game against Rutgers. On the ground, Jordan Marshall leads the team with five rushing touchdowns and has 1,377 career rushing yards, leaving him 123 shy of 1,500.
Michigan’s offense has found ways to finish drives, scoring in all four quarters twice this season. The Wolverines have converted 43.9% of their third-down chances and have also gone 7-for-10 on fourth down.
The defense has been just as central to Michigan’s success. The Wolverines are ranked third nationally in total defense at 250 yards allowed per game.
They are fifth in passing defense at 150.6 yards per game, 17th in rushing defense at 99.4 yards per game and 18th in scoring defense at 16.4 points per game. Opponents have thrown eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions against Michigan this season.
Troy Bowles leads the team with 57 tackles, while John Henry Daley tops the Wolverines with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Michigan has forced nine turnovers in eight games, including seven interceptions, and two of those picks have been returned for touchdowns.
Last season, Michigan ran for 276 yards against Michigan State, with Marshall going for 110 and Justice Haynes adding 152. The Wolverines will try to keep that ground game rolling as they look to extend their recent hold on the rivalry.
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