ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan State entered Michigan Stadium in their game helmets, apparently donning them on the bus. They left with their tails between their legs, beaten up in every way imaginable for three quarters after giving their fans hope in taking a 7-0 lead before falling in a 44-10 bludgeoning.

This one was reminiscent of how this rivalry had gone for decades before U-M mucked it up with a couple bad hires. Big brother returned with a vengeance on Saturday.

The start was dicey for the Wolverines, and it looked like bye week layover blues might haunt them again. But then … the Wolverines woke up.

Quarterback Shea Patterson did the rustling, carving up the Michigan State secondary to the tune of 384 yards, and U-M never relented. Many of the starters were in until the bitter end, and in his “what’s your deal?” moment Michigan fans had been waiting for, head coach Jim Harbaugh and his crew called a wrinkle that would have put a smile on Paul Bunyan’s face, an RPO touchdown pass from Patterson to freshman Cornelius Johnson for his first career touchdown reception.

“We wanted to go out there and score as many points as we could. That play was designed to end like that,” Patterson said with a grin when asked, leaving no doubt.