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    • Michigan football did everything it could to beat MSU, which helped it succeed
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    Michigan football did everything it could to beat MSU, which helped it succeed

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    So much went into Michigan football’s big effort to defeat a mediocre rival and prevent the season from plunging into a deep abyss on Saturday.

    There was a heated pep talk on the sideline from head coach Sherrone Moore, who ordered his offensive line to get to work after a terrible performance in the first quarter of the Wolverines’ 24-17 victory over Michigan State football.

    There were a number of trick plays, including a well-timed Flea flicker that sparked a second-half touchdown drive and a perfectly executed halfback pass that punctuated another. There was a bold plan to use not just one quarterback, but two who had previously started games for the Wolverines.

    But even after pulling out all the stops, they still needed the help of an opponent who is often their own worst enemy.

    That, like everything else, explains why the Wolverines came out on top on Saturday.

    JEFF SEIDEL: Michigan football is taking another bite out of Michigan State – this time out of nowhere

    “At the end of the day,” lamented Spartans running back Nate Carter, “we often end up shooting ourselves in the foot.”

    In Jonathan Smith’s first year at the helm, that has become MSU’s natural tendency and was evident early in a game in which the Spartans outgained the Wolverines by 87 yards and had a 14-minute advantage in time of possession.

    A promising opening drive, in which MSU intentionally advanced 73 yards to the edge of Michigan’s end zone, yielded nothing. Nada. Nothing. Zero. The Spartans came away empty-handed at the end of their 14-game march after making two unfortunate errors. A delay of play violation, the first of six MSU penalties, thwarted Smith’s plan to go for it on fourth down from the 2-yard line. Then the reliably consistent Jonathan Kim inexplicably missed a 25-yard field goal attempt. The missed opportunity, MSU’s latest disaster in the red zone during a season full of opportunities, would be felt as the game wore on.

    It would resonate as Michigan’s listless offense finally showed signs of life under the command of Davis Warren, the team’s Week 1 starter who had been on the bench for nearly a month and a half. When Warren returned to action on Sept. 14 for the first time since throwing three interceptions in a scrappy 10-point win over Arkansas State, he initially didn’t provide much juice. Michigan ran 13 plays on its first three possessions, punting each time after a stalemate. The meager results led Moore to challenge the offensive line at one point.

    “I challenged them,” Moore said.

    At first glance, Moore’s animated speech appeared to be born of desperation, considering the Wolverines entered Saturday on a two-game losing streak. But in truth, the Wolverines hadn’t quite reached the decisive point when Warren and the Wolverines started their fourth possession late in the second quarter.

    After all, they were only down 7-0 at this point. It was a deficit they were confident they could overcome.

    “If everyone pulls together,” Warren said, “you can do good.”

    Michigan found its rhythm, racing against the clock in fast-break, no-huddle mode to score. Warren completed pass after pass, leading the Wolverines into Spartan territory. Donovan Edwards then kept the chains moving with a couple of razor-sharp runs. Just like that, UM found itself at MSU’s 10-yard line. On the next snap, Warren delivered a play-action pass to star tight end Colston Loveland, who drifted unguarded into the end zone.

    MORE FROM RAINER SABIN: Michigan Football finally finds the perfect QB mix of Davis Warren and Alex Orji

    The touchdown, with 29 seconds left in the first half, appeared to be something of a breakthrough for an offense that failed to score a single point in the final two quarters of a loss to Illinois last Saturday.

    “I knew it was coming,” said Warren, who completed 13 of 19 attempts for 123 yards and didn’t turn the ball over.

    But the Spartans seemed a bit shocked. Little did they know that another surprise awaited them moments later when edge defender Josaiah Stewart ran from behind and intercepted the ball from quarterback Aidan Chiles at MSU’s 34th-and-13Th The turnover of the season allowed UM to take the lead, which it did when Dominic Zvada hit a 37-yard field goal to give the Wolverines a 9-7 lead.

    The nature of the game had suddenly changed and Michigan had full momentum as it returned to the locker room.

    The Wolverines, who were expected to receive the ball early in the second half, would soon take advantage of the opportunity to take control. Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell, blamed for the Wolverines’ swoon in recent games, began a series of aggressive maneuvers. He temporarily used Alex Orji, the dual-threat backup who replaced Warren as the starter five weeks ago. Just like that, Orji completed a 29-yard run down the sideline. A few moments later, Campbell turned on a flea flicker that led to a 23-yard completion from Warren to Tyler Morris. The bold flourishes paid off as Orji burst into the end zone with a 2-yard keeper that extended Michigan’s lead and increased the score to 16-7 with 9:49 left in the third quarter.

    “In games like these,” Loveland said, “anything can be called.”

    So Campbell reached deeper and deeper into his bag of tricks. Early in the fourth quarter, after Warren and Orji teamed up to push the Wolverines deep into MSU territory, Campbell picked off a halfback pass. Donovan Edwards, who had completed all three throws he had attempted during his college career, took a throw, ran to his right and then threw the ball to Loveland. The tight end, who was exposed again, caught it and scored. The 23-yard touchdown gave Michigan a 24-10 lead.

    “We knew it was a crucial time,” Loveland said.

    For Michigan it certainly was.

    Another loss would have only darkened the black cloud of negativity that hung over a program that was at the top of college football just nine months ago.

    A loss to the Spartans, a Michigan rival defeated 49-0 a year ago, would have been devastating. It would certainly have brought Moore harsher criticism.

    But the Wolverines and their head coach managed to avoid this bitter fate and avert a crisis for the time being.

    “It was just a team effort,” Loveland said.

    Yes, that was true. It was also aided and abetted by the carefree Spartans, a team simply incapable of getting out of its own way.

    “Too many missed opportunities,” Carter lamented.

    “We believe we should have won that game. I think everyone in the locker room knows we probably should have won that game.”

    But they trudged out of Michigan Stadium without the Paul Bunyan Trophy. It remains in the custody of the Wolverines, who did everything they could to hold onto him after they had already missed out on so much else.

    Contact Rainer Sabin at [email protected]. Follow him @RainerSabin.

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    Madoc Meredith
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