Jonathan Smith shows respect to Sherrone Moore during Big Ten Media Days

In recent years, it would be fair to say that the temperature of the Michigan-Michigan State football rivalry reached a boiling point in terms of intensity and animosity.

The 2018 incident that started with a dust up during MSU's pregame walk at Spartan Stadium before a game between the two teams and ended with former Wolverine linebacker Devin Bush tearing up the MSU logo with his cleats contributed to the disdain the programs have for one another.

Then, in 2022, the rivalry took a turn for the absolute worst when an altercation broke out between players from both teams in the tunnel after a Michigan victory, leading to criminal charges against seven MSU players at the time (four players had their charges eventually dropped while three others later took plea deals).

In a rivalry, it is usually expected there will be a general dislike amongst the programs involved. For awhile, the UM-MSU rivalry was just that—two programs that do not love one another, where some incidents occurred but never escalated into something that was out of control and was always settled on the field.

However, the situation in 2022 far exceeded what should take place between two rival schools.

With two new head coaches at the helm in Jonathan Smith and Sherrone Moore, some have wondered if that would help lower the overall temperature of the rivalry while maintaining that competitive spirit that the prior coaches brought.

On Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, coach Smith was afforded the opportunity to address that and what his overall expectations are when the two programs face off again this fall.

"It's going to be passionate and those things," Smith said. "I enjoy being in an in-state rivalry—really, my whole coaching career there was an in-state rivalry that took place. I think that's a beautiful thing about college football, of the traditions that go with that. Look, every game means something, but that game will mean a whole lot."

Smith said he first got the opportunity to meet Moore during a conference meeting this offseason and was again able to chat with him this week.

While the two don't get a chance to communicate too often, Smith said he has a lot of respect for what Moore helped accomplish at Michigan as the offensive coordinator in prior seasons.

"We don't have a lot of communication," Smith said. "(Our relationship), it's fine. I pay him a lot of respect for what he was contributing to the last few years to that place."

The Wolverines welcome the Spartans to the Big House on Oct. 26 for the annual battle for the Paul Bunyan trophy.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram