Wolverine Watch: Michigan keeps Paul Bunyan home

By John Borton

Michigan playing at Michigan State always feels like a trip to the dentist. This time around, it took a pair of root canals and a molar extraction sans anesthetic, but the Wolverines kept Paul Bunyan where he’s right at home.

The Wolverines (6-2 overall, 4-1 Big Ten) threatened to run away from the toothless Spartans (3-5, 0-5) more than once. But every time Sherrone Moore’s team put themselves in that position, they found a way to let the home crew back in it. Bottom line, U-M will tuck away a 31-20 win, a presumably pleased Paul, and their continued hopes for a hot streak down the stretch.

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This one just wan’t fun — or easy.

“It’s always hard to win in the Big Ten,” Moore said afterwards. “I’m really excited about that, especially in this rivalry. We didn’t make it easy. We didn’t make it easy at all. Shot ourselves in the foot a lot. A lot to clean up, but you’d rather have that on the other side of a win.”

Michigan has to stay on the winning side, if it intends to reach The Game with all its hopes intact. So far, so good, but coming out the other side of this dental drill just wasn’t supposed to be this painful.

After all, the Spartans, following a sweep of a fraudulent nonconference slate, have been more exposed than a Spartan Stadium streaker in the Big Ten. In starting off conference play at 0-4, they’d surrendered 45, 38, 38 and 38 points in utter defensive futility. Those in the stands spent game week discussing Jonathan Smith’s postseason replacement as much as they had hopes for a win over the hated Wolverines.

Strong start, scary second

For a quarter, Michigan stuck to the script. It turned a fumble by MSU quarterback Aidan Chiles (14-for-28, 130 yards passing) into a field goal, followed shortly by a 13-yard touchdown sweep by his counterpart, U-M freshman QB Bryce Underwood ( 8-for-17, 86 yards). When Underwood struck the iconic Paul Bunyan pose in the end zone, up 10-0, the blowout boasters could feel it coming.

Only it didn’t.

The second quarter came packed with pain for Michigan onlookers. Defensive lapses, inexplicable special teams decisions, and a third-and-short shotgun snap over Underwood’s head derailed the runaway train, leaving U-M clinging to a 10-7 lead at the half. That left the Spartans — who unsurprisingly came away with more personal fouls in the game than wins on the season — reason to hope, if only momentarily.

The good news for Michigan? The Spartans are bad. Really bad. Maybe zero Big Ten wins bad.

Beating back MSU

So given a chance to regroup, the Wolverines hopped back on the blowout bus.

Junior tailback Justice Haynes — making a spectacular return from injury — rushed 5 times for 64 yards in Michigan’s opening possession of the second half. That took care of all but seven of U-M’s 71 yards on the drive, Haynes doing the honors on the 5-yard TD bolt to put the Wolverines up, 17-7. It also sent Haynes flying toward another notable outing — 26 carries, 152 yards, 2 touchdowns.

When he bolted in on a 14-yard touchdown eight minutes later, the earth’s orbit seemed to stabilize. Michigan 24, Michigan State 7, 18:08 remaining and 365 days of quiet neighbors ahead. Let the mockery begin.

“Obviously, he’s an explosive player, one of the best running backs in the country in our eyes,” Moore said. “He ran so hard, he ran physical … he continues to play at a high level. It was huge to have him back. But having [sophomore] Jordan [Marshall] as your two, with 15 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown, is pretty good, too.”

Hanging on late

It wound up taking Marshall and the U-M defense to put Sparty away for good. Chiles opened the fourth quarter with a rare hot streak, going 7-for-7 passing on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that made it 24-13. MSU then spent the bulk of the fourth quarter threatening to make it closer. Michigan required a diving pass breakup and strong run penetration by senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder to blunt a pair of MSU fourth-down tries in U-M territory. Rolder also covered Chiles’ first-quarter fumble, making it a spectacular night for the veteran Wolverine.

“Jimmy played outstanding,” Moore said. “Ten tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a fumble recovery and a sack — just elite.”

Parading Paul around

In the end, they all celebrated. Marshall’s 56-yard TD bolt put it away, offsetting MSU’s desperation touchdown with seven seconds left. Paul found himself hoisted aloft by familiar hands, and paraded around proudly in unfamiliar territory.

Emotions run high in this one. Sometimes that makes it closer than it needs to be. Moore just needs to make sure the cleanup comes with an eye toward knocking out a giant’s teeth, not grinding down the MSUs, Purdues, Northwesterns and Marylands of the Big Ten world. But for the moment, a four-game win streak over the Spartans will suffice.

“It means everything,” Moore said. “We talked ad nauseam about how important this game was throughout the week. Talked about it after the game against Washington. We talked about the history of the rivalry, what it means to win this game, for the state, for the city … it means everything for us to have won this game and have Paul back home again.”