Observations on the first half with Michigan State, 23-14

Michigan converted 4 red zone trips for 16 points; Michigan State converted one red zone for 7 points. The Wolverines gained 10 points of 2 Spartan turnovers.

Offense gained 13 first downs, 333 yards on 39 plays with 252 in the air; they were only forced into one punt, and converted 4 of 8 in 3rd down conversions. Cade McNamara hit 14 of 20 passes for 232 yards and a 93 yard TD strike to open the scoring. J.J. McCarthy hit 2 of 2 for 20 yards and a TD. Andrel Anthony caught 4 passes for 136 yards and 2 TDs; he looked like a reincarnated Anthony Carter. Erick All caught 5 passes for 68 yards. Rushing game only gained 81 yards with Hassan Haskins providing 43 yards on 9 carries, and Blake Corum with 31 yards in 7 carries. Cornelius Johnson gained a 9 yard end around plus had 2 catches for another 9 yards. Quavaris Crouch and Cal Haladay led the Spartan defense with 7 tackles each.

Defense allowed the Spartans 12 first downs, 219 yards in 32 plays with 103 yards on the ground; Michigan State was 0 for 5 on 3rd down conversion, but did convert one 4th down. Kenneth Walker gained 87 yards on 12 carries for 2 TDs. Payton Thorne hit 9 of 14 for 116, but gave the Wolverines 2 interceptions. Jailen Nailor has 4 catches for 75 yards. Defense forced the Spartans into 2 turnovers and 2 punts. Josh Ross and Junior Colson led the defense with 4 tackles each. David Ojabo had a sack, and both R.J. Moten and Mike Morris had interceptions.

Special Teams was solid with 3 field goals from Jake Moody, and great kickoff coverage with 3 touchbacks and a 20 yard return. Michigan dominated time of possession by 5 minutes which gave them 7 more offensive plays.

Second Half must start with a score from the offense on the opening drive, and a better job of stopping Walker on the defense. For Michigan to win, they need to maintain their poise, and not turn the ball over. They've show to be the better team so far, and they need to continue playing with poise and composure with mistake-free football to win this game. Go Blue!