Michigan’s upperclassmen have seen a little bit of everything against Michigan State during their time in Ann Arbor.
They tasted victory in last year’s 32-23 triumph over the Spartans, but have also witnessed defeat, most notably in the 27-23 loss at the Big House in 2015.
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Mo Hurst is extra motivated for Saturday's game since it will be his last go-round in the rivalry.
“They’ve gotten the better of us since I’ve been here — we’ve lost three of the four games,” he said. “This will be a great opportunity to get some revenge against those guys.
“Both teams come out and try to play as hard as possible. When you’re battling an in-state team, everything matters — the recruits care, people in the state care, and you’re going to hear about it for the entire year. A lot of these guys know each other and so many of them are from the same area and background.”
Although Hurst hails from Westwood, Mass., he said there was definitely a moment when he got his first sense of just how intense the rivalry is.
“It was my first or second play against them,” he reminisced. “I had been so used to just knocking people back in high school, but on my first play against them I was double-teamed and caught one to the chin, and realized this was a different kind of game. You have to bring it every single play.”
The Wolverines’ defensive line certainly has been “bringing it” so far this year, ranking first nationally in stopping the run.
“Coach [Greg] Mattison tells us to be the best unit possible,” Hurst explained. “He often brings up people in the past that he’s coached. We talk about some of the guys that were around here the past few years and the legacies they left, and how we want to leave our own legacy on Michigan football.”
Another player who seems to be in the process of leaving his own legacy is redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich. His 5.5 sacks currently lead the Big Ten, and his 7.5 tackles for loss are tied for third.
“I saw this coming,” Hurst laughed. “I really thought Chase was going to have a phenomenal year. We saw a lot of flashes from him last year — whenever he got an opportunity, he always made the most of it. It’s the same thing from [sophomore linebacker] Devin Bush — he did great on special teams last year and now he’s having a great year on defense.”
Michigan will need the aforementioned defensive players to play well on Saturday against Michigan State redshirt sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke, whose 248 rushing yards lead the team.
“It’s always tough playing a mobile quarterback because you have to be conscious of your rush lanes,” Hurst said. “Playing man defense, our guys on the back end often have their back to the quarterback. A lot of teams don’t like to play man, but that’s the way our guys play and they haven’t given up many big pass plays this year.”
Just as the secondary will have a challenge in facing the likes of MSU receivers Felton Davis (junior), Darrell Stewart (redshirt sophomore) and Trishton Jackson (sophomore), Hurst said facing the Spartans’ offensive line will also be a major challenge.
“They’re tough guys who play through the whistle,” he said. “I’ve been playing their center [senior Brian Allen] for about four years now, and he’s a great player who’s up for a number of awards. Their offensive line is put together pretty well, and it’ll be a challenge for us.
“There’s always a good amount of trash talking in these games,” Hurst laughed. “It really depends on the year. There’s been games where there hasn’t been much trash talk, but there’s also been games where it’s been all trash talk.”
The Wolverines will likely let their actions do their "talking" for them on Saturday.
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