After Michigan’s 21-7 victory over Michigan State, a look around the Internet at what people are saying about the Wolverines:
John Borton, The Wolverine.com: Wolverine Watch: Bashing The Bully Boys
Michigan State fans spent a lot of time talking about Bush prior to Michigan’s 21-7 choke-out of the home team at Spartan Stadium. They were fuming about junior linebacker Devin Bush’s fury-laden, manic, cleat-digging defacement of the MSU logo at midfield.
Harbaugh talked about bush after the game. Only this bush involved bush league and served as the rocket fuel for the Michigan linebacker’s outrage.
The Wolverines were on the field prior to the game, loosening up. The Spartans, 10 minutes tardy for taking the turf, came out for their arms-locked march forward.
Nobody told Michigan to exit the field, according to U-M football public relations representative Dave Ablauf. What followed poured gasoline on the ongoing inferno that is Michigan-Michigan State.
Michigan State has made a decade off playing the intimidator in the series. From devastatingly effective and physical defenses, to going well over the line by trying to take Denard Robinson’s helmet back to the locker room — with his head in it — the Spartans demonstrated the good, the bad and the ugly in asserting themselves.
This time, they looked to send a message and get under the Wolverines’ skin long before kickoff. They succeeded in getting a crushing, figurative forearm to the facemask and a suffocating 60 minutes.
Ninety-four total yards? Fifteen yards rushing? A donut for 12 in the third-down conversion department? If MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke and MSU’s offense had been any less effective, they’d find a bill for scholarship repayment in their lockers on Sunday.
They’ve been trying to walk through Michigan for more than a decade. All too often, they’ve succeeded. Harbaugh stands determined to put an end to it.
The Wolverines, under Harbaugh, are two plays away from standing 4-0 against the Spartans. Clearly, the days of 29-6 are long gone.
And pregame intimidation backfires against superior talent and proper incentive.
When it was finally over, Michigan’s 21-7 handling of Michigan State felt like passing a kidney stone. There were plenty of painful moments, and the feeling at the end for Wolverines fans was probably one of relief more than elation.
U-M made it harder than it had to be, for one. Michigan State managed 94 yards of offense — total — as it should have, frankly, given the way the Spartans’ offense looked like the Northwestern junior varsity with the guys filling in for those that were banged up.
No, this was going to be a street fight, and MSU made it more interesting by pulling a rabbit out of its hat at Penn State to give its fans hope. They took the intimidation tactics to another level when — as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh saw it — Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio pulled a “bush league” move and had his players march through a handful of U-M’s with their pregame arm-in-arm routine.
Only the Wolverines were too content to play it defensively in the first half. The game should have been over in the first 30 minutes, but when redshirt sophomore Quinn Nordin missed badly on a 36-yard field goal, the Spartans had hope, down only 7-0 at the break.
U-M had squandered great field position on four consecutive drives in the second quarter, not taking advantage of its dominant defense, and allowed the Spartans and their fans dreams of another improbable win.
To be clear, the offense is still a concern. Too much still seems labored; receivers still don't seem to get open often enough.
But this time when the onslaught started and they got smacked in the jaw with a surprise uppercut, they went to their corner and regrouped, countering with a 79-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Not a perfect game. No, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. There were too many personal fouls and silly penalties (9 for 99 yards) we're used to see from the Spartans in this rivalry. Five of MSU’s 11 first downs, in fact, were by penalty.
But on this afternoon, there was no question Michigan was the tougher team on the field, one step toward a potential showdown with Ohio State for the Big Ten East crown and another toward reclaiming an in-state rivalry it should own.
First was Michigan’s 21-7 win at Michigan State, the latest impressive performance for a team still battling back from a season-opening loss to Notre Dame, even if that loss looks better and better in hindsight as the Irish make a run at a 12-0 season.
The Wolverines’ defense is again one of the best in college football. The offense continues to lack imagination but has enough talent to put together the sort of big plays needed to put teams such as the Spartans away — as in the long touchdown pass from Shea Patterson in the second half. The offense has room for improvement; the defense is ready for anyone.
Now, the question: Is Ohio State the best team in the Big Ten, or is it Michigan? Don’t sleep on Michigan’s ability to win every game the rest of the way, Ohio State included. Even lesser Michigan teams under Jim Harbaugh have put OSU on the ropes. It seems almost obvious that this is the best team Harbaugh has had yet.
For the first time since 2006, Michigan defeated a ranked team on the road Saturday. But that wasn’t the most impressive thing about the Wolverines’ 21–7 victory over their in-state rival Michigan State, which entered Saturday ranked No. 24. In a season that started with a disconcerting loss to Notre Dame but now has the makings of something special after seven straight wins, Saturday’s performance marked yet another hurdle cleared in Jim Harbaugh’s quest to win the Big Ten East for the first time during his tenure. One division rival down, two to go.
When quarterback Shea Patterson is locked in, the Wolverines can feel good about their chances against the Nittany Lions, the Buckeyes and anyone else in the conference. Throughout Harbaugh’s tenure, Michigan has been known for its elite defenses — this year’s is no exception — and offensive attacks that have fluctuated between lackluster and appalling. Patterson’s six-yard connection with Nico Collins in the second quarter was the first touchdown pass Michigan had thrown against Michigan State since the Denard Robinson days in 2011.
Like a weight coming off his shoulders.
All their shoulders.
I watched on TV as Michigan defensive end Chase Winovich ran around Spartan Stadium on Saturday afternoon, holding up the Paul Bunyan Trophy after Michigan's water-logged, storm-delayed 21-7 victory over Michigan State.
He had it, right there in his hands.
The trophy, of course.
And yet, these Wolverines were holding something far more important.
This victory marked something huge for the Wolverines. It was more than revenge. It was more than a victory over a rival. It was more than ending the stat: finally getting a win over a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since 2006.
This was a statement by the Wolverines. They are for real.
Go ahead, Michigan fans, it's safe to start dreaming that this team can do something special. That it's possible.
Dan Murphy, ESPN: Most important takeaway for each Top 25 team
Two down, one to go in a crucial stretch for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Michigan ran over Wisconsin a week ago and survived what at points looked like a perfect storm of rivalry-game anarchy in East Lansing this week. Shea Patterson made a handful of plays that this offense wasn't equipped to make in past years to flip momentum in Michigan's direction in the second half. Defense is still the cornerstone in Ann Arbor, but if this team gets past Penn State after a bye, they look well-rounded enough to compete for a Big Ten championship.
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