Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from Big Ten rivalry win over Michigan State
By Zach Bigalke
Michigan football blew out Michigan State at the Big House to stay alive for a New Year’s Six bid. Here are three lessons from the Week 12 win.
A 44-10 victory at home in Ann Arbor allowed Michigan to take control of the Paul Bunyan Trophy against state rival Michigan State. The Spartans actually scored first, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a Brian Lewerke touchdown pass. Things quickly turned in the Wolverines’ favor as they scored 24 unanswered points through the rest of the first half and into the third quarter before giving up just one more field goal.
It was a statement that Michigan needed to make after a midseason swoon. Entering the weekend at No. 15 in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings, Jim Harbaugh’s team has a real chance of getting their name into the hat for an at-large bid into a New Year’s Six game — perhaps even the Rose Bowl if Ohio State takes one of the four bids in the semifinals.
With 467 yards of offense and 25 first downs, the Wolverines ground down their rivals on Saturday to improve to 8-2 and continue rewriting the narrative on their 2019 season. Michigan exerted its dominance in all phases of the game, cooling the seat under Harbaugh while raising even more questions about Mark Dantonio’s long-term future as a Big Ten head coach.
What should we take away from the Week 12 rout by the Wolverines? Here are three big lessons from the mismatch at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.