Michigan governor makes proclamation ahead of Michigan vs. Michigan State
Nearly everyone in Michigan will be picking a side on Saturday afternoon, including the state’s governor.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a special proclamation ahead of Saturday’s Top-10 matchup between Michigan and Michigan State, declaring this week “Rivalry Week.” The certificate cites facts about the historic rivalry with a hint of Spartan bias. Whitmer received both an undergraduate and law degree from Michigan State.
“Whereas, we remind all punters to avoid trouble with the snap” is one of the more clever lines listed. The sentence is a reminder of the 2015 contest between the two rivals. Michigan State won on a walk-off touchdown after Michigan punter Blake O’Neill fumbled the snap with 10 seconds remaining in the game and a 2-point lead.
Michigan State went on to make the College Football Playoff that season and remains the only Big Ten team to ever reach the playoff other than Ohio State.
Battle of the unbeatens
There will be similarly high stakes on Saturday as both the Wolverines and the Spartans are undefeated. The game is undoubtedly the best game of Week 9, as is evidenced by both ESPN’s College GameDay and Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff electing to be on-site in East Lansing.
Saturday’s game pits two of the nation’s best run games against each other. On the Spartan side, Kenneth Walker III has 997 yards on the ground this year, which is second in the country and leads the Big Ten. Just behind him in the conference is Michigan’s Blake Corum with 729 yards. Corum’s teammate and running back Hassan Haskins has 602 yards on the season. Together they have 20 rushing touchdowns.
Both teams are averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground. Michigan is fifth in the nation in total rushing yards per game.
The Spartans and the Wolverines have similarly matched run defenses, but Michigan State has the worst passing defense in the Big Ten. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is still trying to figure out the best way to balance his two quarterbacks, starter Cade McNamara and true freshman J.J. McCarthy. The two could be poised to have a big day on Saturday given Michigan State’s weaknesses.
The winner of the contest controls their own destiny, while the loser will likely need some help to reach the Big Ten title game. Both teams still have games against Ohio State and Penn State on the calendar.
Michigan leads the series 71-37-5 all-time, but Michigan State has won six of the last 10 meetings. The game kicks off at noon ET on Fox. Michigan is a 4-point favorite as of Wednesday morning.