NEXT UP FOR THE SPARTANS: NO. 3 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Fast facts
Matchup: Michigan State (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) vs. No. 3 Michigan (7-0, 4-0)
Kickoff: Time TBA, Oct. 29; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor
TV/radio: TV TBA; WJR-AM (760).
Know the foe
After the Wolverines pulled away in the second half to a 41-17 home victory over the Nittany Lions on Saturday, the Spartans remain the only team to beat Jim Harbaugh’s team twice over the past two seasons. Tucker also is the only coach in MSU history to beat U-M in his first two tries, and he could join Mark Dantonio (2008 and 2010) as the only Spartan coaches to win their first two in Ann Arbor. Tucker beat the Wolverines at an empty Michigan Stadium in 2020, 27-24, then watched Kenneth Walker III score five touchdowns last year to lead MSU to a 37-33 victory in East Lansing in a matchup of unbeatens. Harbaugh’s team went on to win his first Big Ten title last season and the program’s first since 2004, and U-M’s only loss since the MSU game last season came to eventual national champion Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Chris Solari’s three things we learned
Coming together: The return of Xavier Henderson and Jacob Slade bolstered the middle of the struggling defense, helping MSU iron out issues in coverage in the back end and generating quarterback pressure up front with their presence and ability to adjust those around them. The Spartans produced their most complete effort of Mel Tucker’s time as their head coach, with the 131 passing yards the fewest allowed in his 27-game tenure and the 283 total yards permitted the second-best performance against a Big Ten foe and trailing only the 276 allowed against Rutgers in Tucker’s first game in 2020. Quarterback Payton Thorne also delivered in the second half, hitting Keon Coleman for a touchdown to give MSU the lead in regulation and Jayden Reed for the game-winning score in the second overtime.
Discipline concerns: The Spartans got called for a season-high nine penalties for 103 yards, thanks in part to six of the most serious infractions — one on offense, three on defense and two on special teams. Michael Fletcher got ejected for targeting after he dove at Braelon Allen late and hit him with a forearm to the head, even though the Wisconsin running back was already dragged to the ground. Left tackle Jarrett Horst drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, his second of the season, and defensive end Brandon Wright hit Allen going out of bounds for an unnecessary roughness call. MSU’s offensive line also had three false start penalties, two of them against backup guard Brian Greene on the same drive. Renewed optimism: A loss to Wisconsin could have been catastrophic for the Spartans’ postseason hopes. Instead, grinding out the victory in overtime gets them to the halfway point for bowl eligibility and their first Big Ten win of the season. Three tough road games against ranked opponents are ahead, with a trip to No. 20 Illinois on Nov. 5 after visiting the Wolverines and a regular-season finale at No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 26. And the two remaining home opponents, Rutgers (Nov. 12) and Indiana (Nov. 19), also will be fighting to extend their season when they visit East Lansing.