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Michigan Football vs. Michigan State: Three Takeaways
Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio (left) shakes hands with Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh after the game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time since 2007, Michigan football went on the road and beat Michigan State in East Lansing. Here’s what we learned.
The Wolverines robbed of a homecoming moment last year. Jim Harbaugh and company were all set to celebrate the new era of Michigan football when the botched punt heard ’round the world happened.
The circumstances going into Saturday’s contest were very different from the previous year. Michigan is no longer an upstart team trying to establish a program’s relevance, signified by its No. 2 ranking in the polls. On the other sideline, Michigan State is scrambling to find answers on how its football program could have fallen this far so quickly. Perhaps the loss to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl took the wind out of the resurgence Mark Dantonio brought to the Spartans.
Whatever the reason, the Wolverines won in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Paul Bunyan is now back in Ann Arbor, and Michigan fans have reason to believe that it could stay there for a long while. The Michigan offense ran the ball down the Spartans’ throat, and Wilton Speight made several clutch passes to ensure the Wolverines cruised for the majority of the game.
The nervousness brought on by the Spartans’ 7-0 start was quickly calmed when Jabrill Peppers answered on a Wildcat keeper. After that, the defense settled in and kept the Spartan offense in check until the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter, when Michigan State poured on 13 points.
Michigan plays Maryland at home next weekend, and the 3:30 p.m. EST game can be found on ABC.
Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Amara Darboh (82) gestures after a first down during the first half of a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Amara Darboh has a breakout game
Last season, Jehu Chesson was the main deep threat for the Wolverines. He remains a consistent option, but Amara Darboh has stepped up his game as of late.
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Darboh’s bread and butter is through the middle of the field. The fifth-year senior is an expert at walling off defenders and became a safety valve for Wilton Speight, who would often force passes through double or triple coverage to Darboh.
It would be a sign of things to come when he drew a pass interference right before the half. Michigan State’s corners were having trouble keeping up, and his efforts led to a quick field goal before the mid-way point.
Coming out of the half, Darboh went up and snagged a ball with one hand, turning to bring it down. It was yet another first down conversion, and another reception over 10 yards for the emerging deep threat.
Yet Darboh wasn’t done with the highlight reel catches. After the Michigan defense got a fourth-down stop deep in the red zone, the offense trotted onto the field hoping for breathing room. Dropping back into the end zone, Speight hit a diving Darboh. The 39-yard pass was hauled with one hand. Instead of a jump ball, Darboh was forced to lay out as a defender tugged on his other arm.
While a touchdown eluded him, Darboh set season highs in receptions (8) and yards (165). He averaged 20 yards a catch.
Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive end Chris Wormley (43) rushes the passer against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Red zone and fourth down defense key for Michigan
Michigan has been lauded for having one of the stingiest defenses in the nation. The Spartans put it to the test early. They ran 11 times on the 12-play opening drive, momentarily stunning Michigan.
The confidence came back after an offensive score, and the defense stifled the running game as Michigan State turned the ball over on downs.
From that point on, the Spartans were unable to mount anything resembling a substantial threat. The following drives would result in a field goal, a punt, an interception, another turnover on downs, and a missed field goal.
By the time the defense did allow another touchdown on broken coverage, it was too late for the Spartans to come back. They would score one more touchdown for good measure, but Jabrill Peppers would take their 2-point conversion attempt back for a safety.
While Michigan did give up 217 yards on the grounds, it made stops when it counted. A large chunk of the yardage came on big plays that went for 20-plus yards. If there has been one critique of Don Brown’s defense, the big play has been the Achilles heel.
However, the trade-off is a high level of pressure on the quarterback, something that clearly affected the Spartans. They played three quarterbacks and none were allowed to get into a great rhythm, despite the secondary errors on the final scoring plays.
The defense recorded two sacks and seven tackles for loss, despite giving up its most yards on the season. Linebacker Mike McCray was the headliner, with 8 tackles, including 4 solo and 2 1/2 tackles for loss.
Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh throws the ball before a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Jim Harbaugh and his milk
We all know how much Jim Harbaugh loves milk. SB Nation even has piece titled “A History of Jim Harbaugh loving the hell out of milk.” Harbaugh’s latest commercials are just another reminder, and a sneakily smart way to advertise further for the Michigan brand.
But first, a recent endorsement of milk by Harbaugh: note his drink glass in this picture, where he is enjoying his Ruth’s Chris steak with a side of milk.
Ruth’s Chris & Buzz Goebel!Sarah, me & Ann Arbor thank U for being such good sports! Plus the Steaks are A++, Mercy! pic.twitter.com/7CiB8ZMuXy
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) October 12, 2016
This makes sense, since he has previously claimed that “the number one natural steroid is sleep and the number two natural steroid is milk.”
His love of milk is so well known that a young boy at a press conference asked how much milk he would have to drink to be a cornerback someday.
But Harbaugh only loves a certain type of milk, whole, not “that candy-ass two percent.” With his new commercials, Harbaugh has appeared to embrace another type of milk.
Harbaugh’s personality make him perfect for the internet age, and his commercials for Fairlife Milk are one more example of him taking Michigan national. Recruits love Harbaugh’s sense of humor, and this is one more highlight.
It’s easy to imagine Harbaugh demanding more production from his kids, and the shot of the kids putting up the goalpost confirms this suspicion.
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