Wolverines’ defense dominates Spartans after pregame dust-up
Michigan receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones runs down the sideline to complete a 79-yard touchdown reception and give the Wolverines a 14-7 third-quarter lead over Michigan State. Michigan 21, Michigan State 7
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan had plenty of reasons to be motivated to beat Michigan State, having seldom defeated its in-state rival over the past decade and losing to every ranked team on the road for a dozen years.
The Wolverines, though, were even more fired up to win after a pregame spat with the Spartans, and they stayed that way even after a 75-minute first-quarter weather delay.
Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes as No. 6 Michigan beat No. 24 Michigan State 21-7 on Saturday, snapping a streak of 17 consecutive losses to ranked teams on the road. The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) also had lost eight of 10 against coach Mark Dantonio’s Spartans. But the matchup is always highly charged, and on this day it was kicked up a notch well before kickoff.
Michigan State’s team walked from one end zone to the other with their arms locked, eventually making contact with a few Wolverines who were stretching in the middle of the field. That led to words being exchanged.
“Total bush league,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Apparently coach Dantonio was 5 yards behind, smiling.”
Dantonio disagreed with Harbaugh’s assessment.
“That’s B.S.,” Dantonio said.
Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, one of the players involved in what Harbaugh called “shenanigans,” later dragged and kicked his cleats to rip up some of the grass under the Spartans’ white logo at midfield.
“I just got caught up in the moment with my emotions,” Bush said.
Once the game started, the Spartans (4-3, 2-2) struggled to move the ball, getting held to 94 yards and failing to convert any of their 12 third downs.
“Our defense was lights out,” Harbaugh said. “That’s a dream game.”
On offense, Michigan made some plays in the passing game and a lot on the ground against the nation’s top-ranked rushing defense.
Michigan’s Karan Higdon had 144 yards rushing on 33 carries.
Patterson’s 79-yard pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones put Michigan ahead 14-7 late in the third quarter.
“Donovan, one-on-one coverage, good luck with that,” Patterson said. “I just threw it up to him.”
The mobile quarterback converted a fourth-and-2 from the Michigan State 41 early in the fourth, setting up Ben Mason’s 5-yard run that gave the Wolverines a 21-7 lead.
The Ole Miss transfer was 14 of 25 for 212 yards. His 6-yard pass to Nico Collins broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter and was Michigan’s first touchdown throw against the Spartans since 2011.
Michigan State needed a fumble deep in Michigan territory and a trick play to score. Two plays after Michigan’s Chris Evans lost the ball at the Wolverines’ 7 early in the third, quarterback Brian Lewerke caught a 4-yard pass from receiver Darrell Stewart off a reverse to pull the Spartans into a 7-7 tie.
But for the Spartans’ offense, that was it.
“Credit Michigan’s defense,” Dantonio said.
Playing with a bum shoulder, Lewerke was 5 of 25 for just 66 yards with an injurydepleted corps of receivers, which now includes Felton Davis after he was carted off with an Achilles tendon injury. Michigan State running back LJ Scott (leg) returned from a four-game absence but ran for just 25 yards on 10 carries.