For the fifth time in seven years, Michigan football beat Michigan State. The 31-20 triumph was their fourth consecutive, and also the second straight for Sherrone Moore to start his career.
Rivalry games are never easy. Yet, Sherrone Moore has proven adept at them. He's 2-0 against Ohio State and Michigan State as the head coach, although he was acting coach in 2023.
Things looked shaky for a half. There were some worrisome moments in the fourth quarter, such as the Justice Haynes fumble. But when the Wolverines needed a play, they found one to make one.
Looking back on a 31-20 win that was massive for this program, because it achieved one major goal of winning a state championship, as well as keeping another (making the playoff) alive.
Here are five observations from Michigan's win in East Lansing.
Michigan has the best running back duo in the Big Ten
The Wolverines would not have won this game without their running backs, Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall.
Hayes wasn't 100 percent. Still, he was healthy enough to rush 26 times for 151 yards. His long run was 28 yards. He had two explosive runs on the first drive of the second half as Michigan football pushed its lead to 10.
The former five-star has rushed for 100 yards in every game he has started and finished with 171 total yards Saturday. Marshall picked up a key third-and-one late, before slamming the door on a comeback with a 56-yard touchdown run.
Marshall has rushed for over 81 yards in three of the Wolverines' five Big Ten games. This running back duo is legit, and for my money, it's the best in college football.
Marshall and Haynes are a huge reason Michigan is now 6-2.
Overcoming a slow start
It started well enough after forcing a fumble. Yet, the Wolverines settled for three points. Underwood scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.
However, it was clear that the freshman was off. It's hard to win on the road in the Big Ten, especially with a freshman quarterback. He did well to have zero turnovers. Throwing 2-3 interceptions is how Michigan loses this game.
Yet, without some mistakes from the Spartans, MSU could have easily had the lead in the first half. It took way too long for Michigan to take control of the game. There were too many empty possessions in the first half.
That was also the case for Wisconsin and Washington. Part of that is having a freshman quarterback. Yet, there were some issues on defense, such as missed tackles that allowed the Spartans to rush for nearly 100 yards in the first half.
The second half was better but Michigan's run defense has been an issue. MSU was the third team to rush for over 100 yards this season.
Jyaire Hill is an NFL corner
Nick Marsh is one of the best wide receivers in the Big Ten. The quarterback is sometimes an issue for him, but Marsh was targeted a dozen times on Saturday night. He had six receptions for 75 yards, but Jyaire Hill was stellar in coverage, holding him to one catch on his first seven targets.
Hill has taken a huge leap forward this season. There is still a little room to grow. It would be nice to see him get his hands on the ball more, but Hill is showing why Michigan fans should be confident when he's covering the other team's best wide reciever.
NFL teams love tall corners with speed. That's Hill. He's a great man coverage guy and it feels like this could potentially be his last season in Ann Arbor.
Wink has dialed things back
We will have to evaluate things further on the re-watch for the most part, it seemed like Wink Martindale was playing defense the way he did against Washington. There was a lot of zone coverage and not a ton of blitzing.
Martinale was selective with pressures. He never called a zero blitz or anything like that, at least that I can remember. The third-down defense has to improve. Michigan is still playing too many guys on defense, especially on the defensive line.
It's also uncanny how many times Michigan will get a sack then allow a big gain on the next play. Wink trusted his guys. The defensive line delivered. So did Jimmy Rolder, who had one of his best games as a Wolverine.
Michigan is still giving up too many long runs. There are some things like that to address. The pass rush needs to be more consistent, and the starters need to play more.
Overall, though, you have to give Wink credit for the way the defense has bounced back, allowing just 13.5 points per game over the past two weeks.
Semaj Morgan keeps hurting this team
There were a few head-scratching plays from Semaj Morgan this week. On one punt return, it was set up perfectly, yet Morgan returned the ball to the wrong side of the field. He also made a mistake on a kickoff, and dropped what looked like a first down late in the first half.
Morgan is good with the ball in his hands. The problem is getting to it to him. He can't catch the ball, and when he's returning, it seems like he costs Michigan yards, whether it's by letting the ball drop or catching it when he should let it go.
Andrew Marsh has gotten some chances. There has to be someone on the team who can make the correct decisions, while also being a threat. Morgan can't do either right now. Michigan should consider moving Marsh to the slot. He's been dynamic and has already shown he can take a screen to the house, outside of everything else he's done.
Moving Morgan to the bench would open up snaps for another player. There has to be some consquence to making the same mistakes over and over again.
The Wolverines can't let Semaj make the same mistakes over and over again, although they already have. This was a reminder that it's not going to change.