The Michigan Wolverines' football team turned in an elite defensive performance last season in East Lansing when it held MSU to just 94 yards of offense in a 21-7 win, and although Saturday's 44-10 victory didn't quite live up to those standards, it was once again dominant.
The Maize and Blue only gave up 220 yards of offense to Michigan State, holding it to 166 through the air and 54 on the ground.
MSU's lone touchdown of the game came on its second offensive series when it drove 60 yards in nine plays, but saw the Wolverine defense clamp down after that.
“It wasn't over, and it was only the first quarter," senior viper Khaleke Hudson recalled in the postgame. "Why feel pressure when they went up by a touchdown? We just anchored down, kept executing and continued doing our jobs to come out with the victory.”
The Spartans were forced to punt on six of their 10 possessions after that, with the four other series resulting in two interceptions (one by senior cornerback Lavert Hill and one from junior cornerback Ambry Thomas), a 35-yard field goal and the end of the first half.
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The two interceptions are what really helped break the game open, with Thomas' occurring on MSU's first drive of the second half and leading to a Michigan touchdown that gave the Wolverines a 24-7 lead.
Hill's meanwhile, came at 14:14 of the fourth quarter and resulted in a 33-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Quinn Nordin to extend U-M's advantage to 37-10.
“Ambry is from Detroit, so the Michigan rivalry is really big to him," senior safety Josh Metellus noted after the win. "It’s also big for Lavert [another Detroit native]. He got the pick and you could feel the intensity. The vibe he had went through the whole stadium, from the field to the stands to the top row."
The Maize and Blue's defensive front made life especially difficult for the Spartan rushing attack, holding it to just 1.8 yards per attempt. Redshirt freshman running back Elijah Collins' 27 yards made him the only Michigan State rusher to compile more than 12 yards on the ground, with the team's longest run standing at just 10 yards.
U-M fifth-year senior linebacker Jordan Glasgow led the way with eight tackles, while senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp paced the team in both sacks and TFLs, with 1.5 of each.
Quinn Nordin, Khaleke Hudson Shine On Michigan Special Teams
Though Michigan special teams coach Chris Partridge
revealed during the week that Nordin and sophomore kicker Jake Moody would continue to be used on a rotational basis, it was the former who received the entirety of the kicking action on Saturday.
He attempted (and made) all three of the club's field goals, while also receiving the nod for all five of the Wolverines' extra points.
Nordin's three successful kicks came from 28, 49 and 33 yards, marking the first time he had connected on three kicks in a game since also doing so in the 38-13 blowout of Wisconsin last season.
Hudson, meanwhile, blocked a Michigan State punt at the MSU 22-yard line at 14:53 of the fourth quarter, leading to a touchdown pass on U-M's ensuing offensive play to extend the lead to 34-10 at the time.
“It’s about max focus and executing your job," Hudson explained. "There were two punts I had come close to blocking before, and I knew on the third one that my guy was going to over pursue.
"I went under him and kept my eyes on the ball, and ended up blocking it.”
One of the few negatives for the Wolverines' special teams unit occurred at 8:21 of the fourth quarter when junior wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones fumbled the ball at the end of a 50-yard punt return, which led to a Michigan State recovery.
It was Michigan's lone turnover of the day.
Miscellaneous Michigan Football Notes
• Michigan has held five of its last seven opponents to 65 rushing yards or fewer after limiting MSU to just 54.
• In U-M's last seven games, its defense has only surrendered 11 touchdowns and has forced 12 turnovers.
• The Wolverines' 34-point margin of victory was its largest over the Spartans since a 49-3 beatdown in 2002.
• U-M limited Michigan State to 1.8 yards per rush, and has now held six of its 10 opponents to 2.8 yards per carry or fewer this season.
• Thomas' third-quarter interception was his third of the season and the fourth of his U-M tenure. It was also the fifth turnover he had registered this season, adding two fumble recoveries to the picks.
• After giving up just 10 points to Michigan State, the Maize and Blue have allowed an average of 10.3 points over their last three outings (victories over Notre Dame, Maryland and MSU).
• Kemp's fourth-quarter sack was the first solo QB takedown of his career. He posted 1.5 on the afternoon and now has two over his last two games.
• Michigan State only converted two of its 13 third downs.
• Hill's fourth-quarter interception was his third of the season and sixth of his career.
• MSU's 17 pass completions were its second fewest of the season.
• Michigan improved to 71-36-5 in the all-time series with the Spartans, dating back to the first meeting in 1898. Saturday's triumph also marked the first time U-M had beaten MSU in consecutive years since 2006-07.
• Hudson's blocked punt in the fourth quarter was the third of his collegiate tenure. It was also the team's second of the season, with Glasgow recording the other in the Oct. 12 win at Illinois.
• The 111,496 people in attendance marked the 292nd consecutive game at Michigan Stadium with a crowd of at least 100,000 people.
• Nordin's 49-yard field goal in the third quarter was the third longest of his career, with his two longer ones both occurring in the club's 33-17 victory over Florida in 2017 (from 50 and 55 yards out against the Gators).
• The Wolverines' victory was the first for the home team in the rivalry since Michigan State pulled out a 35-11 win in East Lansing in 2014.
• U-M has limited nine of its 10 opponents to 293 yards of offense or fewer this season, with the lone exception being the Sept. 21 loss at Wisconsin, when it gave up 487.
• Hill's third-quarter pass breakup gave him 25 for his career, tying him with Markus Curry (2001-04) for ninth on the school's all-time list.
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