Michigan Football: Everything you need to know about Michigan State

Special teams

Darrell Stewart Jr. is dangerous no matter what position he’s assigned, and kick returner is no exception. Averaging 21.9 yards per return, Darrell can hit a home run real quick.

The lesser-known Brandon Sowards is the man returning punts for the Spartans along with the well-known Cody White. Both have unremarkable stats.

The kicking game is disastrous. Matt Coghlin has connected on 13 of his 20 attempts, which includes the three critical misses in the loss to Arizona State. Before that game, Matt was a perfect seven for seven and found himself being depicted by teammates as “automatic” even after the debacle.

“Matt’s a great kicker, we all know he’s automatic,” Linebacker Raequon Williams said. “I swear today was the first time I’ve seen him miss a field goal in a very long time … We all know you have a bad day, but I know he’s gonna bounce back.”

I wouldn’t consider 60% automatic (6/10 since ASU).

Matt’s musings

This is a down on their luck Michigan State team filled with nothing but hate in their hearts for the team that’s continually making ‘little brother’ and ‘little sister’ remarks. It is a fact that MSU has nothing to look forward to after what is known as one of the most heated rivalries in all of college football. To say these guys don’t like each other is an understatement, and that’s just the motivation the Spartans need to overcome the superior talent at UM.

It’s very easy to get caught looking ahead, but as long as the turnover battle is won, Michigan shouldn’t have a problem keeping the Paul Bunyan trophy where it belongs.