Spartans singing in rain after toppling Wolverines
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Brian Lewerke ran for a touchdown and threw for a score in the first half, and Michigan State held on to beat No. 7 Michigan 14-10 on a rainy Saturday night.
The Wolverines had the ball with a chance to drive for a go-ahead TD, but a heave from the Spartans 37 as time expired hit the turf near the goal line.
The Spartans (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) have beaten Michigan eight times in a 10-year stretch for the first time in a series that dates to 1898.
Michigan (4-1, 1-1) could not overcome many mistakes, including five turnovers and several costly penalties.
John O’Korn, replacing injured starter Wilton Speight, threw three interceptions in the second half.
The Wolverines opened with a 16-play, 64-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock, but they had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead. They didn’t lead again against coach Mark Dantonio, who has figured out how to take control of a rivalry that has historically been tilted in Michigan’s favor.
Lewerke scored a goahead TD on a 14-yard run late in the first quarter. He threw a 16-yard pass to Madre London to put the Spartans up 14-3 midway through the second quarter.
Michigan scored its first and only touchdown midway through the third quarter on Khalid Hill’s 1-yard run to cut it to 14-10.
The Spartans didn’t have a first down in the second half until their final drive of the game, a possession that started with 2:13 and ended with a punt from the Michigan 47 that went through the end zone with 34 seconds left.
Michigan started its last drive with no timeouts left and picked up 30 yards on the first snap on a 15-yard pass to Karan Higdon and a 15-yard penalty on Chris Frey for tacking him out of bounds. The Wolverines wilted after that as Eddie McDoom dropped a pass and they had to back up 5 yards bedcause of a delayof-game penalty. A heave into the end zone on the final play of the game from the 37-yard line was broken up.
The victory means the Spartans have a chance to have a special season in what was expected to be a rebuilding season.
For the Wolverines, the loss showed they might miss Speight more than expected. When he was ruled out for multiple games with an undisclosed injury, many fans seemed to be excited about having O’Korn under center after his solid performance at Purdue. The maize-and-blue clad fans were left groaning for much of the night because O’Korn simply struggled.
The emotionally packed rivalry, which divides the state and some households, was played at night for the first time. That led to Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis teaming up to ask fans to behave.
“On behalf of both institutions, we invite you all to represent yourself and your favorite side in a manner befitting our proud communities,” they wrote in a letter addressed to the public.