Junior Jabrill Peppers sealed the Wolverine victory with a fumble return on a failed 2-point conversion attempt in the last second against Michigan State to win 32-23 on Saturday afternoon.
This was a huge win for the Michigan Wolverines who are now 8-0 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Polls, right behind Alabama. Many were expecting the Michigan Wolverines to roll over the 2-6 Michigan State Spartans, who have lost their last 6 games this season.
Michigan redeemed their heartbreaking defeat last season at the Big House when Michigan senior punter Blake O’Neil attempted to punt the ball to MSU in the final seconds of their game in 2015 on fourth down. O’Neil who is a rugby style punter, fumbled the snap and Michigan State senior Jalen Watts-Jackson returned it for the game winning touchdown.
Michigan State would win the game 27-23 and would go on to win the Big Ten Championship and would eventually lose to Alabama in the semifinals of the 2016 College Football Playoffs.
Michigan entered the game on a three game losing streak against the Spartans while Michigan State held a 7-2 record over Michigan in the last 9 games.
When it comes to rivalries, the Michigan vs Michigan State rivalry has become an intense one even though the record may seem to favor just one team over the other. The Wolverines and Spartans fans and teams don’t like one another and Saturday’s game proved that. Many thought that Michigan would beat MSU just as bad as they beat Rutgers on October 1st 78-0. Saturday’s game would not be like the Rutgers game.
Both rivals came out to play on Saturday and you could throw records out the door. This was all about the rivalry where one team was trying to redeem themselves from a year ago and another trying to spoil their rivals playoff hopes.
In the first quarter, Michigan and Michigan State would battle in the trenches where each team would keep the ball during their one possession. The quarter would end 7-7 and the fans inside Spartan Stadium would be in for an exciting game.
During the second half, the offenses would once again keep the ball moving as the Wolverines would take a 14-7 lead early in the second on a 1-yard rushing TD by running back De’Veon Smith. MSU would add march down the field but their drive would stall and they would be forced to try a 52-yard field goal by Michael Geiger. Geiger would make and make the score 14-10 in favor of the Wolverines. Michigan would also add a field goal on their next possession from kicker Kenny Allen to put the Wolverines up 17-10.
The Michigan offense accompanied by one of the best defenses in the country, would add to their lead when De’Veon Smith added another 5-yard TD run to extend the lead 24-10.
Michigan’s Kenny Allen would add a 23-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter to make it 27-10 at halftime for the Wolverines.
Both defenses would come up big early on in the third quarter, when Michigan junior quarterback Wilton Speight was intercepted on Michigan’s opening drive of the second half. The interception could’ve made the game interesting but the Michigan defense would force another turnover on downs.
Speight would march the Wolverines down the field but would they would have to eventually settle for a Kenny Allen 45-yard field goal to extend the lead 30-10.
The vaunting Michigan defense would be tested by the Spartans throughout the game but the Michigan defense would hold the Michigan State offense to zero completions during the second and third quarters.
Michigan State would add a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, to pull closer to the Wolverines 30-17 lead. Michigan would continue to run out the clock during the fourth quarter.
On their last possession of the fourth quarter, Coach D’Antonio would continue to try and score on the Wolverines. Michigan state would add a touchdown late with: 01 remaining in the game and would attempt a 2-pt conversion but Jabrill Peppers would seal the Michigan victory with a fumble return to make it 32-23 Michigan.
