Michigan State Preview 2021

Michigan holds the edge since the Paul Bunyan Trophy was introduced in 1953 with a 38-28-2 record

#6 Michigan, 7-0, travels to East Lansing to battle arch-rival, #7 Michigan State, 7-0, for a 12 Noon kickoff on October 30; the Wolverines are favored by 2 points, and the last time both teams played ranked in the Top 10 was October 10, 1964 with the Wolverines winning, 17-10, at East Lansing. The weather prediction for the game is partly sunny with a high temperature of 53 degrees, and winds from 8-12 mph with 17% chance of precipitation. Michigan leads the series, 71-37-5, but has lost 6 of the last 10 games including last season, 24-27. Michigan leads the series at Spartan Stadium, 19-14-1; the Wolverines also lead the games played at East Lansing, 21-14-2. The two teams didn't truly begin playing a home and home series until 1958. Since 1950, Michigan holds a 38-31-2 advantage in the rivalry.

Jim Harbaugh's is 0-1 against Mel Tucker, and 3-3 in the rivalry; Harbaugh broke his arm in the 1984 Spartan game. The last time the Wolverines shut out the Spartans was 2000 in a 14-0 victory; they also shut out MSU in 1985, 1983, 1973, 1972, 1947, 1945, and 1942. Michigan shut out Michigan State in the first four meetings in the series, 1898-1908, and continued defensive dominance with shutouts in 1914, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925 (7 in a row), 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1938 for 29 shut outs in the series. Michigan has been shut out ten times by the Spartans, but the last time was in 1967, and three of the meetings resulted in zero-zero ties including back to back in 1930 and 1931.

Can the Wolverines stop Kenneth Walker III??? He is the nation's top running back and Heisman contender after transferring from Wake Forest; he has 997 yards in 152 carries with 9 TDs.

On offense, the Spartans are led by Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback, Payton Thorne; he is 112 of 183 for 1701 yards and 15 TDs with 4 interceptions this season with a quarterback rating of 161.96 ranking him 2nd in the Big Ten behind Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. Michigan will need to employ constant pressure on Thorne in passing situations, and rattle his confidence in his first game in the rivalry. The Spartans are ranked 6th in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally in rushing offense averaging over 200 yards per game; Sophomore Jordon Simmons and Redshirt Junior Elijah Collins back up Walker. Their offensive line features tackles, A.J. Arcuri and Jarrett Horst, J.D. Duplain and Kevin Jarvis are the guards, and Matt Allen is at center; they are a strong, veteran, and physical group that will be tough to defend. They are all Seniors or Graduate Students except Duplain is a Junior. When the Spartans take to the air, they have three very capable receivers with Redshirt Juniors Jayden Reed, Jalen Nailor, and Redshirt Sophomore Tre Mosley with 75 receptions as a group; they average over 251 yards per game in passing, and since they are skilled in both their running and passing games they average over 34 points per game. The Wolverines couldn't handle the Spartan wideouts in 2020; it will be interesting to see how our coverage will be against this group in matchups. Backup wideouts include Sophomores Terry Lockett and Montorie Foster. Running Back, Connor Heyward, has moved to Tight End; Redshirt Senior Tyler Hunt will also play at Tight End, and both have 21 receptions on the season. In 29 red zone opportunities this season, Michigan State has 10 rushing and 7 passing TDs with 25 scores. They have not been a strong time of possesion team averaging only 26 minutes per game ranking them last in the Big Ten, and their 3rd down conversion percentage has only been 35% ranking them 12th in the conference. If Michigan can thwart the MSU offensive attack, they'll have a good shot to win; if they have to outscore the Spartans because the defense can't manage this group, it may be a long afternoon.

On Defense, the Spartans leading tackler is Senior Safety Xavier Henderson with 60 tackles, 7 for loss with 2 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble; Safety Angelo Grose is the second leading tackler with 53 stops plus 6 pass break ups and an interception. Sophomore Darius Snow is the Nickel Back, and the Corners are Junior Chester Kimbrough and Senior Ronald Williams; Michael Dowell will also play Nickel. Although this group is tough against the run, they have given up 285 yards in the air per game on the average which ranks them 14th in the Big Ten. Michigan must have their best passing attack this season to exploit this group. The Spartans start Graduates students, Jacub Panasiuk and and Drew Jordan at the Defensive Ends with Redshirt Junior Jacob Slade and Redshirt Freshman Simeon Barrow at the tackles; Sophomore End Jeff Piotrowski, Redshirt Sophomore Tackle Maverick Hansen, nd Redshirt Sophomore Tackle Jalen Hunt will also see action. End Drew Beesley is still out with injury. The Wolverine offensive line will need to establish a solid rushing attack against this group. The Spartan linebacking corps features Redshirt Freshman MIKE Cal Haladay and Junior Transfer WILL Quavaris Crouch; former Wolverine, Ben Vansumeren, and 5th Year Senior Noah Harvey may also play. Both Michigan and MSU are pretty even in turnover margin, and turnovers are a huge advantage in rivalries such as this one.

On special teams, Redshirt Freshman Matt Coughlin handles field goals; he is 10 of 15 this season with a 51 yarder, and had one blocked. Bryce Baringer is a solid punter with at 49.19 yard average in 31 punts with 11 downed inside the 20. Jayden Reed is a very dangerous punt and kickoff return specialist with 2 TDs in 17 touches this season.

In last year's tilt, in 43 of the last 49 years, the team who outrushes the other has come out on top of the final score; Michigan will need to win this battle if they are to prevail, and the combined rushing of Corum and Haskins needs to outweigh the production of Kenneth Walker. Michigan needs to win the rushing battle, time of possession, and turnovers to come out on top. Since 1995, if the Spartans score 26 or more points against the Wolverines, they have come out on top 11 times in 12 victories so the defense has got to get the job done if we are to win. In that same stretch since 1995, Michigan has won 12 of their 14 wins by scoring 21 points or more so the offense needs to take the initiative and score early on with a solid performance, and "take care of the football." This will be a close affair with every possession having meaning, and special teams could decide this one; if you think special teams don't matter all that much, just watch the 2015 game to see how big special teams play can be.

Prediction: Michigan 27 Michigan State 26

Jim Harbaugh Press Conference on October 25 Game Notes for MSU

Mel Tucker Press Conference on October 25 MSU Game Notes for Michigan

Other Predictions:

Best Game Matchups

Michigan	MSU
Ross, Josh	Walker, Kenneth
Colson, Junior	Thorne, Payton
Hill, Daxton	Reed, Jayden
Gray, Vincent	Nailor, Jalen
McNamara, Cade	Henderson, Xavier
Haskins, Hassan	Halladay, Cal
Corum, Blake	Crouch, Quavarius
Hinton, Chris	Horst, Jarrett
Hutchinson, Aiden	Arcuri, A.J.
Moody, Jake	Coghlin, Matt
Robbins, Brad	Baringer, Bryce
Smith, Mazi	Allen, Matt
Hawskin, Brad	Heyward, Connor
Hayes, Ryan	Panasiuk, Jacub
Stueber, Joel	Beesley, Drew
Henning, A.J.	Kimbrough, Chester
Johnson, Cornelus	Williams, Ronald
Sainristil, Mike	Snow, Darius
All, Erick	Grose, Angelo

Coaching Records in the Rivalry

M/MSU Coach	Years	Seasons	Record	Percentage	Notes
Yost, Fielding	1901-1926	24	16W-2L-1T	86.84%
Schembechler, Bo	1969-1989	21	17W-4L	80.95%
Daugherty, Duffy	1954-1972	19	10W-7L-2T	57.89%
Bachman, Charlie	1933-1946	14	4W-8L	33.33%	4 wins in a row, 1934-1937
Carr, Lloyd	1995-2007	13	10W-3L	76.92%
Dantonio, Mark	2007-2019	13	8W-5L	61.54%
Perles, George	1983-1994	12	4W-8L	33.33%
Oosterbaan, Benny	1948-1958	11	4W-6L-1T	40.91%
Crisler, Fritz	1938-1947	10	8W-0L	100.00%
Kipke, Harry	1928-1937	10	3W-4L-2T	44.44%	National Champion 1932-1933, Big Ten Champion, 1930-1933; only coach for both schools
Elliott, Bump	1959-1968	10	2W-7L-1T	25.00%
Brewer, Chester	1903-1919	10	0W-4L-1T	10.00%	0-0 draw in 1908
Harbaugh, Jim	2015-2021	7	3W-3L	50.00%
Munn, Biggie	1947-1953	7	3W-4L	42.86%
Moeller, Gary	1990-1994	5	3W-2L	60.00%
Saban, Nick	1995-1999	5	2W-3L	40.00%
Macklin, John	1911-1915	5	2W-3L	40.00%	First Aggie win in 1913; Macklin Field opened in 1923
Young, Ralph	1923-1927	5	0W-5L	0.00%
Rogers, Darryl	1976-1979	4	1W-3L	25.00%
Hoke, Brady	2011-2014	4	1W-3L	25.00%
Crowley, Jim	1929-1932	4	0W-2L-2T	25.00%	Back to back, 0-0, games 1930&1931
Smith, John L.	2003-2006	4	0W-4L	0.00%	Lost two overtime games, 2004-2005
Ferbert, Gustave	1897-1899	3	1W-0L	100.00%	First game, 39-0, in 1898
Williams, Bobby	2000-2002	3	1W-2L	33.33%
Stolz, Denny	1973-1975	3	0W-3L	0.00%
Waters, Muddy	1980-1982	3	0W-3L	0.00%	Former Spartan fullback, 1946-49
Rodriquez, Rich	2008-2010	3	0W-3L	0.00%
Wieman, Tad	1927-1928	2	2W-0L	100.00%
Tucker, Mel	2020-2021	2	1W-0L	100.00%
Barron, Albert	1921-1922	2	0W-2L	0.00%	63-0 in 1922
Keep, Henry	1897-1898	2	0W-1L	0.00%	First game, 39-0, in 1898
Denman, George	1901-1902	2	0W-1L	0.00%	116-0 Loss
Clark, George "Potsy"	1920	1	0W-1L	0.00%	NFL Championship-Detroit Lions 1935
Gauthier, George	1918	1	0W-1L	0.00%
Sommer, Frank "Dutch"	1916	1	0W-1L	0.00%

2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was rescheduled and played on Halloween for the first time ever. Coming into the game, Michigan was ranked 13th in the AP poll after a dominating victory on the road against Minnesota 49–24, while Michigan State lost to Rutgers 38–27, a game that ended the Spartans' 19–game win streak in home openers and Rutgers' 21-game Big Ten losing streak dating back to 2017. Despite Michigan being 21.5 point favorites and ESPN's Football Power Index giving Michigan State just a 6.6% chance at winning, the Spartans beat the Wolverines 27–24 to reclaim the Paul Bunyan Trophy. This win also made Mel Tucker the first Michigan State head coach to beat Michigan in his first season since Nick Saban in 1995, as well as only the third head coach of either program to win his first game in the rivalry as head coach in the past 75 years (the others being Saban and Bennie Oosterbaan).

2019: Mark Dantonio retires as Michigan State Head Football Coach with a 8-5 record in the rivalry; he is replaced by former Assistant Coach, Mel Tucker.

2019

2018

2018: On October 20, 2018, Michigan defeated Michigan State, 21–7. The Wolverines gained 395 yards and held the Spartans to 94 yards. The Spartans were late in conducting their traditional pregame walk down the field, and when they did so, several Michigan players had already taken the field for warmups. The Spartans walked, arms linked, through the Michigan players, resulting in a skirmish. After the Spartans left the field, Michigan linebacker Devin Bush tore up the Spartans' midfield logo with his cleats. After the game, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh claimed the Spartans clothes-lined one Michigan player and ripped the headphones off another and added: "Total bush league. Apparently, coach Dantonio was five yards behind it all smiling." Michigan State coach Dantonio referred to Harbaugh's comments as "BS". The Big Ten issued reprimands to both teams afterwards, including a $10,000 fine against Michigan State, having found that the Spartans violated the conference's sportsmanship policy by walking across the field with linked arms and initiating contact with multiple Michigan players "who were legitimately on the field". The conference also reprimanded Dantonio for "failing to take action to mitigate a foreseeable conflict from occurring". Devin Bush was also reprimanded for grinding his cleats into the Spartan logo, as was Harbaugh for his post-game comments.

2017: On October 7, 2017, Michigan and Michigan State met for the first night game in series history. Michigan came into the game ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll and 4–0 on the season. The Michigan State Spartans came into the game unranked at 3–1 on the season, with their only loss at that point to Notre Dame in East Lansing. After an early Wolverine field goal, Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke ran 13 yards for a touchdown and later threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Madre London to give the Spartans a 14–3 lead at halftime. The second half was played in heavy rain and winds. Michigan State forced five turnovers (two fumbles and three interceptions) in the game. Michigan scored a touchdown in the third quarter and attempted a Hail Mary pass in the closing seconds, but a deflection by MSU's Joe Bachie in the endzone cemented the Spartans' 14–10 win. The win was the Spartans' eighth in 10 games against Michigan. Michigan finished the season unranked, while Michigan State was ranked No. 15 in the final AP poll.

2016

2015: Jim Harbaugh replaced Brady Hoke as Michigan Head Football Coach following the 2014 season. On October 17, 2015, the game was played in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2012. The #12 Wolverines, led by first-year coach Jim Harbaugh, entered the game 5–1. The #7 Spartans came into the game 6–0. This was the first meeting of coaches Mark Dantonio and Harbaugh. Michigan scored first and did not trail until the final play of the game. Late in the 4th quarter, with the Wolverines leading 23–21, Michigan State drove into field goal range, but a sack pushed them outside the 40. They failed to convert on 4th and long, giving Michigan the ball and seemingly the victory. However, with 10 seconds left in the game, Michigan was faced with a 4th and short and decided to punt. Michigan State pressured with all 11 defenders while Michigan sent players downfield to cover the punt. The numeric mismatch on the line allowed easy penetration while the Wolverine long-snapper quick-snapped a low ball bobbled by the punter. Michigan punter Blake O'Neill had trouble with the snap; the ball was free and picked up by Michigan State’s Jalen Watts-Jackson, and he scored on the last play of the game. The final margin of victory for MSU was 27-23. Michigan State did not lead at any point in the game until time expired, but they outgained Michigan in the contest 386 to 230 yards.

2013: On November 2, 2013, in East Lansing, Michigan State dominated Michigan defensively, winning 29–6. Michigan QB Devin Gardner was sacked seven times and Michigan accumulated the fewest rushing yards for a game in its entire history (−48 yards). The Spartans held the Wolverines to their lowest point total in the series since 1967, the last time Michigan State had won by more than 20 points. This was the second game in a row that Michigan failed to score a touchdown against Michigan State. This game marked MSU's fifth win of the previous six games in the series.

2012: The Wolverines defeated the Spartans, 12–10, for the first Michigan victory since 2007. Michigan did not score a touchdown but kicked four field goals. Michigan led, 9–7, in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans ran a fake punt on fourth-and-nine from their own 30-yard line. The gamble paid off, and the Spartans kicked a field goal to go up 10–9. Michigan was forced punt the ball away with four minutes left, but the Michigan defense forced a three-and-out and they got the ball back at their own 39 with 2:11 left. Denard Robinson completed a 20-yard pass on fourth down to advance to the Spartans' 25-yard line, With nine seconds left, Michigan spiked the ball and Brendan Gibbons lined up to kick a potential game-winning field goal. Mark Dantonio called time out to ice the kicker, but Gibbons split the uprights to win it for Michigan, 12–10.

Lloyd Carr retires as Michigan Head Football Coach after the 2007 season with a 10-3 record in the rivalry; his is replaced by Rich Rodriquez. Michigan won 30 of 38 contests in the rivalry, 1970-2007; Carr coached at Michigan, 1980-2007, 28 seasons, this tied him with Wally Weber as the third longest tenure of Michigan Football Coaches behind Cliff Keen and Benny Ooosterbaan.

2007: Michigan's sixth straight win over Michigan State. The Wolverines once again narrowly won with a comeback in the fourth quarter, winning 28–24. Michigan quarterback Chad Henne led two touchdown drives in the final 7:35 of the game, completing touchdown passes to Greg Mathews and Mario Manningham, to lead the Wolverines back from a 24–14 deficit. Henne finished the game with 18 completions for 211 yards and four touchdowns, while Manningham had eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns; Henne finished the rivalry 4-0 against the Spartans, the only Wolverine quarterback to do so. After the game, the Michigan team held a "moment of silence" for Michigan State, a response to Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio making a comment about taking a "moment of silence" for Michigan after their embarrassing upset loss to Appalachian State at the beginning of the season. Dantonio responded with "pride comes before the fall."

2004: Despite being an underdog on the road in Ann Arbor, unranked Michigan State built up a 27–10 lead in the 4th quarter against #12 ranked Michigan. The Wolverines eventually awoke and added a 24 yard field goal by Garrett Rivas to cut the MSU lead to 14. Michigan recovered the ensuing onside kick and went down the field to make it a 27–20 MSU lead after a 36-yard touchdown reception by Braylon Edwards. Michigan's defense was able to force an MSU punt and once again, Edwards demonstrated late game heroics with an iconic 21-yard touchdown catch to knot the score at 27–27. Michigan scored 17 points in less than four minutes. A potential MSU game-winning field goal attempt fell short and the game went into overtime for the first time in series history. The teams traded field goals and touchdowns in the first two overtime periods, respectively. Another touchdown reception by Edwards and a successful two-point conversion put Michigan ahead, 45–37. MSU failed to answer with a touchdown and Michigan's comeback was complete with a 45–37 victory in triple overtime. Edwards amassed 189 yards receiving along with three touchdowns. Michigan's true freshman quarterback Chad Henne threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns.

2001: Clockgate Michigan entered the game ranked No. 6 in the nation. With under three minutes left, the Spartans received the ball at midfield, trailing 24–20. A Michigan face mask penalty resulted in 15 yards and an automatic first down. Two plays later, the Wolverines were penalized for having 12 men on the field. Michigan State was incorrectly charged with their final timeout on that play; the Spartans should not have been because of the U-M penalty. With 17 seconds remaining, Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker attempted to scramble for a touchdown but was stopped at the one-yard line. The Spartans rushed to the line and spiked the ball, ostensibly with one second remaining on the clock. On the next play, Smoker threw a touchdown pass to T. J. Duckett to win the game, 26–24. Michigan coaches, players, and the ABC broadcasters argued that the clock should have expired before the final play and that the timekeeper, "Spartan Bob" Stehlin, purposely stopped the clock before the ball was grounded. Michigan commentator. As a result of the game, the Big Ten changed its timekeeping policy for the 2002 season, requiring that time be kept on the field by a neutral official.

George Perles retired as Michigan State's Head Coach after 12 seasons with a 4-8 record against the Wolverines; Nick Saban, former Assistant Coach under Perles, is hired to replace him, and defeats MIchigan in his first season, 28-25.

1990: No. One vs. No One" was the tag line used for the 1990 game. Michigan came into the game ranked No. 1 in the country. With six seconds left, Elvis Grbac threw a touchdown pass to Derrick Alexander to make it 28–27 Michigan State. Michigan coach Gary Moeller elected to go for a two-point conversion for the win. Grbac threw an incomplete pass to Desmond Howard, but the play was controversial since a Spartan defender, Eddie Brown, tripped him; pass interference should have been called.

Bo Schembechler retired in 1989; he had a 17-4 record in the rivalry, and Gary Moeller took over as Michigan's Head Coach

1983: Steve Smith became the third Michigan Quarterback to go 3-0 against the Spartans; George Perles replaced Muddy Waters as Michigan State Head Coach

In 1978, Michigan was ranked No. 5 when the unranked Spartans visited Ann Arbor. Michigan had won the previous eight series meetings, but quarterback Ed Smith led the Spartans to a 24–15 upset win. Smith passed for 248 yards, including five completions to flanker Kirk Gibson for 82 yards. Michigan State's total of 496 yards (307 in the first half) was the most allowed by a Michigan team since 1961. Michigan quarterback Rick Leach, who had only one interception in Michigan's first four games, threw three in the first half.

1974: Dennis Franklin became the second Michigan Quarterback to go 3-0 against the Spartans

Bump Elliott was replaced as Michigan Head Football Coach in 1968 by Bo Schembechler; Elliott was 2-7-1 against the Spartans.

Duffy Daughtery coached Michigan State, 1954-1972; he was 10-7-2 against Michigan, and shut out the Wolverines 4 times. Michigan never scored more than 17 points against his defenses, 1955-1969.

1964: Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science is renamed to Michigan State University

Bennie Oosterbaan was replaced as Michigan Head Football Coach in 1958; his record against the Spartans was 4-6-1, and he coached Michigan, 1928-1958, for 31 seasons. This was the second longest tenure in Michigan Football Coaching History behind Cliff Keen's 33 seasons, 1926-1958; Oosterbaan and Keen were best friends. Bump Elliott replaced Oosterbaan as Wolverine Head Football Coach.

1956: #2 Michigan State vs. #5 Michigan-After a scoreless first half in which Michigan dominated statistically, turnovers led to two Michigan State scores. In the third quarter, the Spartans intercepted a pass at Michigan's 38-yard line, setting up a 20-yard field goal, and in the fourth quarter, the Spartans recovered a fumble at Michigan's 21-yard line, leading to a Spartan touchdown and the final margin of victory, 9–0.

1955: Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science is renamed Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science

1953: Biggie Munn won 4 games in a row in the series, 1950-1953, and won a Big Ten Champinship in its inaugural season in the conference. He finished 4-3 against the Wolverines. Assistant Duffy Daugherty is promoted to Head Coach of Michigan State.

Michigan's second longest winning streak in the series was from 1938-1950 with 12 wins in a row

1948: Fritz Crisler retires as Michigan Football Head Coach with a 8-0 record against Michigan State; the teams didn't play in 1943 or 1944 due to World War II

1947: "Biggie" Munn took over as Michigan State's head coach. Munn had been an assistant coach at Michigan under Fritz Crisler from 1938 to 1945. On September 27, 1947, Munn made his debut as the Spartans' head coach, playing his former mentor in Ann Arbor. In one of the first football televised football games in the State of Michigan (broadcast on WWJ-TV), Michigan won by a 55–0 score, outgaining the Spartans by 504 yards to 56.

Michigan State President, John Hannah, 1941-1969, unveiled the Spartan Statue on July 9, 1945

1940: Michigan defeated Michigan State by a 21 to 14 score. Michigan halfback Tom Harmon scored all 21 points for Michigan, running for three touchdowns and kicking the extra points as well. Michigan Quarterback, Forest Evashevski, became the only Michigan Quarterback to go 3-0 against the Spartans.

1935-1937: Michigan State College wins 4 games in a row against the Wolverines, 25-6, 21-7, and 19-14; Harry Kipke who coached MSC in 1929 was fired on December, 1937

1934: Michigan State coach Charlie Bachman led the Spartans to a 16–0 victory in Ann Arbor. Michigan State dominated the game statistically with 182 yards from scrimmage to 72 for Michigan, and with 15 first downs to three for Michigan. The loss broke Michigan's 22-game unbeaten streak dating back to October 1931. It was also the Spartans' first victory over the Wolverines since 1915 and only the third in 29 games. After the game, a group of Michigan State supporters rushed the field and attempted to tear down the goal posts at the north end of the field. Michigan fans then charged the field to protect the goal posts. Fist fights ensued, and the "rioting" continued for 20 minutes.

1930: #5 Michigan played the Michigan State Spartans to a scoreless tie in front of a crowd of 49,900 at Michigan Stadium; they finished the season, 8-0-1, and tied with Northwestern for the conference title. The game marked the end of a losing streak for the Spartans against the Wolverines dating back to 1916. Michigan had crossed the goal line near the end of the first half, but the play was called back on an offside penalty; the first half ended before Michigan could conclude the drive. One of Michigan's key players, Bill Hewitt sustained an injured ankle while playing at left end in the game; Hewitt did not play the rest of the season. The Associated Press reported that Michigan's passing attack kept the ball in Michigan State's territory much of the time but the Wolverines "lacked the scoring punch."

Michigan's longest winning streak against Michigan State was from 1916-1929 with 14 wins in a row

1926: Fielding Yost retires from coaching at Michigan with a 16-2-1 record in the rivalry, built Michigan Football Stadium in 1927, and served as Wolverine Athletic Director, 1921-1940; Michigan State changed their nickname from the Aggies to the Spartans

Doc Holliday and Ty Tyson broadcasting at Ferry Field in 1925; live broadcasts began in 1923

1925: Michigan Agricultural College is renamed to Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science

1924: In the second game of the 1924 season, Michigan travelled to East Lansing to face the "Farmers" of Michigan Agricultural College. The game remained scoreless through the first three quarters. Michigan scored on a pass from halfback Frederick Parker to end Herb Steger to win the game by a 7-0 score. The 1925 Michiganensian described the play as follows: "In the last few minutes of play, Parker threw one of the long sensational passes that characterized the Wolverine's attack throughout the entire season, to Captain Steger who caught it and ran for a touchdown." According to The New York Times, Michigan center Robert J. Brown "was credited with an outstanding performance in the line."

Fielding Yost on the sidelines in 1919 after shutting out the Aggies, 26-0; Yost shut out the Aggies 13 times in the rivalry, and only allowed Michigan State 29 points in 19 games

1914: Michigan pulls out a 3-0 win at College Field in East Lansing; Michigan Quarterback, Tommy Hughitt, suffered a dislocated elbow

1913: On October 18, 1913, Michigan Agricultural secured its first victory over Michigan, 12–7. The Aggies' fullback, George E. Julian, scored two touchdowns, and Blake Miller returned a Michigan fumble 45 yards for a touchdown.

1911: In the second week of the season, Michigan defeated Michigan Agricultural College by a 15–3 score in front of 5,000 spectators at College Field in East Lansing, Michigan. The 1911 game was the first loss by M.A.C. on their home field. Michigan threatened to score in the first quarter, but one drive was stopped when the Aggies' intercepted a pass at their own 10-yard line. On the next drive, Michigan took the ball to the Aggies' 15-yard line, but a field goal attempt by Frederick L. Conklin was unsuccessful. In the second quarter, another Michigan drive took the ball to the M.A.C. three-yard line, but Michigan was unable to score, and the Aggies took over on downs. In the third quarter, the Aggies took the lead when their left halfback Hill kicked a field goal from the 35-yard line. Shortly thereafter, a 30-yard gain by Otto Carpell helped set the stage for a field goal by Conklin from the 20-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Michigan scored two touchdowns. The first came on a 63-yard drive that included a 30-yard gain on a pass from fullback George C. Thomson to Stanfield Wells. Wells finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, and Frederick L. Conklin kicked the extra point. After the touchdown, Thomson returned M.A.C.'s kickoff 55 yards to the Aggies' 48-yard line. Thomson then gained 35 yards on a running play for Michigan's second touchdown. Conklin kicked the extra point. Thomson also handled punting for Michigan, and one of his punts went 70 yards.

1910: After a scoreless first half, the Aggies blocked two punts in the third quarter. On the second occasion, the punt was blocked and rolled to Michigan's 12-yard line where the Aggies recovered the ball. Leon Hill kicked a field goal from the 21-yard line, and the Aggies' maintained a 3–0 lead into the fourth quarter. With less than five minutes left in the game, Michigan quarterback Shorty McMillan completed a pass to Stanley Borleske who ran 50 yards to the Aggies' 15-yard line. Due to a penalty, the Wolverines had five unsuccessful chances to score the touchdown after advancing to the three-yard line. Michigan then lined up for a field goal, but the play was a fake. Don Green took the snap from center and ran for the touchdown.

1908: The game was played in front of 6,000 spectators at East Lansing's College Field, and the Aggies' fans "went wild with delight" when the game ended, 0-0. In Ann Arbor, the result was met with disbelief among Michigan fans who had expected an easy win. The Detroit Free Press called it "the greatest game of football ever seen in this part of the state." The Michigan Alumnus noted that Michigan's line was weak with Germany Schulz, Maurice Crumpacker and William Casey out of the game and opined that the Wolverines were outplayed and would have been defeated had it not been for Dave Allerdice repeatedly punting out of danger.

1902: Michigan shellacked the Aggies, 119-0, under the leadership of Fielding Yost and Keene Fitzpatrick; Albert Hernstein scores 7 touchdowns, and the Wolverines led at halftime, 71-0

October 12, 1898: The teams met in Ann Arbor on October 12, 1898 at Regents Field, and Michigan won 39–0 (MAC claims it was 39-2). The Detroit Free Press wrote that the game was "essentially a practice game," as Michigan played 25 different players during the game. Charles Widman scored two touchdowns and was "the strongest ground-gainer" for Michigan. Additional Michigan touchdowns were scored by Clayton Teetzel, Clifford Barabee, Allen Steckle, and Fred William Hartsburg. Teetzel and Leo J. Keena kicked two extra points each. In the second half, Keena also kicked a field goal from a place-kick, "the first time a Michigan eleven has ever scored in that fashion." Michigan's starting lineup against Michigan Agricultural was Teetzel (left end), Day (left tackle), Caley (left guard), Smith (center), France (right guard), McDonald (right tackle), Snow (right end), Talcott (quarterback), Widman (left halfback), Whitcomb (right halfback), and Barabee (fullback). Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Hicks (left end), Wood (left tackle), Kramer (left guard), Brown (center), Dye (center), Bennett (right guard), Steckle (right tackle), Richardson (right end), Hartsburg (quarterback), Weeks (quarterback and right halfback), Baldwin (left halfback), Keena (fullback). After the 1898 shutout, Michigan sent its freshman team against Michigan Agricultural for the next three years.