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The Michigan Daily - Footba

4 - The Michigan Daily - Football Saturday - October 30, 2004

Spartans look to
steal trophy away

Key Statistcs

Battleground State

Season Averages (NCAA Rank)
Points
Points Against
Passing Offense
Passing Defense
Rushing Offense
Rushing Defense
Total Offense
Total Defense
Turnover Margin

By Sharad Mattu
Daily Sports Editor

Today, Michigan and Michigan State
can envision themselves atop the Big
Ten standings and Pasadena-bound.
Yes, the Spartans, too - later this
month, they play Wisconsin at home).
Three weeks into the season, the
thought seemed impossible. Both
teams had lost to Notre Dame. The
Spartans also lost at Rutgers, and
the Wolverines beat lowly San Diego
State at home by just three points.
But then the conference season
began. Now, No. 12 Michigan (5-0 Big
Ten, 7-1 overall) is coming off a road
win over Purdue, and is just a Wiscon-
sin loss away from having first place to
itself And Michigan State (3-1, 4-3) put
together its best performance of the sea-
son in its last game, a 51-17 thumping of
Minnesota two weeks ago.
While both teams have had success
in East Lansing, at the Big House, the
rivalry has been one-sided. The Spar-
tans are looking for their first win in
Ann Arbor since 1990.
MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VS.
MICHIGAN STATE PASSING DEFENSE:
Though his performance last Satur-
day against Purdue didn't look great
on paper, Chad Henne is improving
rapidly. With opponents double-team-
ing Braylon Edwards on every play,
the freshman quarterback is mak-
ing better use of his other receivers.
He still seems to throw at least one
interception every game, and needs
to improve his awareness of the pass
rush, but Michigan's passing attack is
much more balanced now than in the
first few games of 2004.
The Spartans have allowed less
than 200 passing yards per game this
season, but they haven't yet faced an
explosive passing offense.
EDGE: MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS. MICHI-
GAN STATE RUSHING DEFENSE: Last year
at Spartan Stadium, Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr asked his running back,
Chris Perry, to run the ball 51 times.
This year, Michigan initially didn't
seem to have a running back. Then
it found an unproven freshman. Now,
50-plus carries for Mike Hart doesn't
seem impossible (though Carr proba-
bly won't want to do that again). Hart
has amassed more than 600 rushing
yards the last three games and has
had a knack for playing better
as the game progresses.
Much has been made of
the fact that the Spartans lim-
ited Minnesota to 102 yards rushing.
To get a better sense of Michigan
State's defense, look at the previous
week, when Illinois' Pierre Thomas
ran for 188 yards on the Spartans.
EDGE: MICHIGAN

M I C H I G A N

MICH
28.13 (41)
18.4 (31)
222.1 (50)
204 (49)
149.13 (63)
71.6 (3)
371.25 (62),
275.63 (11)'
+ 0.88 (T20)
PASSING
Player
Stanton 94
Reaves 16-
Totals 135-
RUSHING
Player Att
Stanton 61
Caulcick 76
Teague 83
Russell 41
Totals 283
RECEIVING
Player No.
Scott 26
Trannon 22
Teague 16
Shaba] 15
Totals 135

MSU
28.14 (40)
22.4 (49)
228.7 (44)
199.59 (45)
212.86 (16)
164(74)
441.57 (19)
363.57 (58)
-0.71 (89)
IGAN S T A T E

MICHIGAN STATE PASSING OFFENSE VS.
MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE: Michigan
State quarterback Drew Stanton's
ability to run and throw is some-
thing Michigan hasn't seen so far
this season. In his last two games,
Stanton has thrown for 507 yards
and six touchdowns. If he uses his
legs to give himself time, he'll have
a chance to put up big numbers.
But ultimately, Michigan's com-
bination of a dominating pass rush
and physical secondary should over-
whelm the Spartans. Just last week,
the Wolverines' defenses limited the
Boilermakers and one-time Heisman
candidate Kyle Orton to just a hand-
ful of big gains.
EDGE: MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN STATE RUSHING OFFENSE
VS. MICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE:
Stanton is also the Spartans' leader
in rushing. He's run for 454 yards
and four touchdowns this season.
As for the actual running backs, a
different player seems to take con-
trol each week; three players have
run between 267 and 397 total
yards for the Spartans this
season.
Michigan's rush defense
has been strong thanks to
defensive lineman Gabe
Watson, its linebackers and
safety Ernest Shazor, but it
hasn't been perfect. If the Wol-
verines have shown any vulnerabil-
ity, it's against plays to the outside.
And since Michigan hasn't faced a
mobile quarterback yet this season,
that poses another challenge.
EDGE MICHIGAN

Edwards the worst of
sellout Michigan team

SPECIAL TEAMS: Last week in West
Lafayette, Steve Breaston looked
more dangerous on punt returns than
at any other time this season. But the
performance of punter Adam Finley
and kicker Garrett Rivas, who have
each had up-and-down seasons thus
far, is far more important. Also,
with Finley replacing Matt Gutier-
rez as the holder on field goals, it
remains to be seen if the transition
will be a smooth one.
In Brandon Fields, Michigan
State has the best punter in the Big
Ten. His average of 49.2 yards is
far and away the conference's best,
and he'll be expected to provide a
field position-advantage. Kicker
Dave Rayner is also solid, while
the Spartans' return game has done
nothing special this season.
EDGE: MICHIGAN STATE
INTANGIBLES: It's hard to imagine
either team having the edge in confi-
dence entering this weekend. Michi-
gan's offense came up with its second
game-winning drive of the season,
and its defense shut down Purdue's
vaunted passing attack.
Michigan State is coming off a
dominating win at home over Min-
nesota. In that game, the Spartans
gained 636 yards on offense, 410 of
which came from Stanton. But they
still haven't proven they can beat a
good team on the road.
EDGE: MICHIGAN

PASSING
Player C-A
Henne 152-250
Richard 7-13
Totals 159-263
RUSHING
Player At
Hart 187 9
Martin 22
J.Jackson 32
Underwood 26
Rembert 8
Totals 345 11
RECEIVING
Player No. Y
Edwards 58 81
Avant 24 3
Breaston 20 1
Hart 18 1!
Massaquoi 14 1
Ecker 11 1'
Gonzales 4 1
Totals 159 17
PUNTING
Player N
Finley 4
Totals 4
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Breaston 12
Mason 4
Totals 19

From me to MSU: a nevi

Yds
936
98
90
78
46
1193

Yds
1728
49
1777

Avg
5.0
4.5
2.8
3.0
5.8
3.5
Avg
13.9
12.8
6.8
8.6
10.4
10.5
15.5
11.2

TD
13
O
13
Lg
33
21
13
12
10
33
Lg
69
21
25
33
24
31
40
69

Int
10
0
10
TD
4
2
0
10
TD
8
0
1
2
13

C-A
151
6-39
234
Yds
1 454
5 397
365
267
1490
Yds
274
287
3 107
5 166
51601

Yds
1043
249
1610
Avg
4 7.4
7 5.2
4.3
6.5
6.0
Avg
10.5
13.0
6.7
11.0
11.9

TD
6
10
Lg
43
37
46
37
46
Lg
30
57
25
28
57

Yds
806
306
35
55
46
15
62
777

o. Yds
41 1760
42 1760

Avg Lg
42.9 56
41.9 56

PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Breaston 15
Hall 6
Totals 22
TACKLES
Player
Shazor
Reid
Mundy
McClintock
Woodley
Manning
M. Jackson
Massey
Curry
Hall


int
4
3
8
TD
4
3
3
1
11
TO
10

Yds Avg Lg
276 23.0 43
146 36.5 97
467 24.6 97
Yds Avg Lg
151 10.1 37
104 17.3 76
272 12.4 76
Solo Asst
43 12
32 11
22 11
23 9
26 5
21 10
22 7
18 9
16 10
22 4

TD
O
0
0
TO
0
Tot
55
43
33
32
31
31
29
27
26
26

PUNTING
Player
Fields
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Cobb 25
Harmon 2
Totals 27
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Brown 18
Shabaj 6
Totals 26

No. Yds Avg Lg
32 1575 49.2 65
35 1640 46.9 65

Yds
573
37
610
Yds
143
43
200
Solo
38
43
30
23
34
27
19
15

Avg Lg
22.9 89
18.5 21
22.6 89
Avg Lg
7.9 36
7.2 17
7.7 36

TD
O
1
TD
O
0

TACKLES
Player
Smith
Stanley
Harmon
Herron Jr.
Maples
Hayes
McKinney
Vickerson

Asst
35
29
37
26
13
8
8
11

Tot
73
72
67
49
47
35
27
26


JONATHAN MALAVOLTI
The State News
Did you hear? Michigan doesn't
consider Michigan State a big
rival in football, at least not to
the degree of Ohio State. And recently,
neither do the media or the fans.
But hey, I understand, what could
possibly compare to the SBC Michigan-
Ohio State Classic? Wait, you mean,
you didn't hear the news? One of college
football's oldest matchups - but still
just a regular season game - almost got
a sponsor. What's next? The Bennigan's
Notre Dame-Boston College Big Irish
Showdown? Or how about that Taco
Bell Texas-Texas A&M Nearly South of
the Border Brawl?
Honestly, do the Wolverines really
need another $530,000 (the amount they
would have been paid in the proposed
deal)? I guess they can use it to pay off
recruits - but that's a totally different
story altogether.
Today, I'm here to talk about football.
And while I'm sure Michigan is ner-
vously anticipating the big game against
the big bad Buckeyes, who are 1-3 in
conference play, maybe they should
concentrate on the Big Ten team that's
given them the most problems in recent
years - Michigan State. That's right,
the Spartans have beaten the Wolverines
five out of the last 14 times. Not a pretty
record, but still more than any other
team in that period.
It's OK though - I'm not jealous
- more shocked than anything.
I mean, why SBC? When it comes to
Michigan, there's only one group I think
that would best represent those loyal
Wolverines fans. Give up? The Michi-
gan Militia.
Some of my most vivid memories
from attending games at the Flop, er,
Big House, include the Michigan faith-
ful in those blue and yellow (maize is a
vegetable, not a color) camouflage pants.
In fact, I remember a game a few
years back when another Michigan
State fan in the stands near me - drunk
and loud, God bless his Spartan soul
- heckled the so-called "real" Michi-
gan fans around us.
"You didn't go to Michigan!" he'd
shout at them. "You went to Eastern!"
And while the Spartan fans around
him found this hilarious, I kind of felt
bad. I pity those poor folks in Ypsilanti
who have to be compared to the redneck
nation better known as the hordes of
Michigan football fans.
All the Michigan student section
ever does is follow along with the band
because, well, it's pretty obvious they
don't know anything about football
except th TON rnltmbers

on the players' jerseys.
Oh, and those Wolverine players. I
can't think of another school that pays
- I mean "produces," such cocky and
overrated wastes of talent. I still can't
believe Wolverines running back Chris
Perry was even considered for the Heis-
man Trophy last year. He's just like
all the other decent Michigan running
backs - they're only made better when
running behind that monster line.
But there's one Wolverine who dis-
gusts me more than all the other medio-
cre offensive duds from Ann Arbor, and
that is wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
Here's a guy who was talking trash
before he was anybody. And he's still
a nobody - just a guy everyone pays
attention to because his mouth doesn't
stop running until 10 yards after his legs
do. I'm sure NFL teams will be drooling
over the chance to pick up Mr. Attitude.
And I'm sick of the comeback stories
about Edwards making such an emo-
tional and important decision to stay in
Ann Arbor for his senior year instead
of leaving for the NFL. He didn't come
back because he likes Lloyd Carr, he
came back because he knew his lazy
work ethic and lack of talent wasn't
going to cut it, so he had better return to
get his degree in Play-Doh Construction.
And what's the deal with Wolverines'
kickers? Somehow, Michigan can recruit
All-American linemen, but they can't
find one kid in the entire nation that can
kick an extra point? Wolverine place-
kicker Garrett Rivas is a disgrace and an
embarrassment.
Michigan State has the talent and
the heart to go head-to-head with the
Wolverines any day of the week, and we
don't need a sponsor to pay us off half-
a-mil to do it. The Spartans take pride
in their intrastate rivalry, and maybe
Michigan should too - otherwise, it's
going to end up costing them.
But hey, SBC's always there to back
them up.
Jonathan Malavolti is the State News
deputy sports editor. He can be reached at
malavol2@msu.edu.

CHRIS BURKE
The Michigan Daily
You know the scene at the end
of the movie "8 Mile" when
Eminem wins the final battle
because he knows everything the other
guy is going to make fun of him for?
That's what I feel like every time
this Michigan-Michigan State game
rolls around.
Every single year, you Sparties roll
back your sleeves and bust out your
best Michigan insults ... and every
single year, you say the exact same
things about us.
And you know what? We're fine
with it. The girls here do buy Prada
and drive around in SUVs. My parents
are paying my tuition. Chris Webber
took money from a booster, our bas-
ketball team sucked for a while and
you beat us on a last (extra) second
touchdown in 2001.
We probably are a little arrogant,
and there are plenty of fans cheering
for Michigan that didn't go here.
So, tell the people something they
don't know about us.
Can't do it? Good, because I'm
going to move on.
I care about keeping the Michigan-
Michigan State showdown special,
and because I do, I'm going to help
you where you need it the most: your
fight song.
Our band storms out onto the field
and plays the greatest fight song in
the country. And your band plays
something that sounds like what the
Ringling Brothers use to introduce the
elephant parade at the circus.
So let's start at the beginning.
"On the banks of the Red Cedar..."
Seriously? The Red Cedar? It's not like
you're walking out of Breslin onto the
shores of the mighty Mississippi. We
don't sing about the Huron River. Let's
change that line to something more

meaningful, that people will care about.
Let's change it to: "Just an hour from
Ann Arbor."
Okay, skip ahead a couple lines.
"Its specialty is winning, and those
Spartans play good ball." This one's
easy - it's back to the original words
to the song: "Its specialty is farming,
and those farmers play football." I
swear I didn't make that up. Next.
"Spartan teams are never beaten."
Um ... even you Moo U. kids can
figure out what's the matter with this
one. Switch it to: "It's been 16 years
since our last Rose Bowl."
I'll leave "All through the game
they'llfight" more or less untouched
- mostly because I feel it's a nice
tribute to the rioting in East Lansing.
(Quick question: How many Spartans
does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Answer: 2,000. One to screw it in
and the other 1,999 to riot and set the
lamps on fire.)
Moving on. "Fight for the only
colors, Green and White ... Go right
through for MSU, watch the points
keep growing." First off, it sounds like
the coloring books in Cow Country
are a little dull - there are lots of col-
ors, you should take a look. Secondly,
I think that other part would be more
appropriate if it was "watch the grass
keep growing." And speaking of grass
growing, riddle me this: Why did it
take you - an agricultural college
- more than 75 years to figure out
how to put natural grass in your foot-
ball stadium? That's always bothered
me, or it would have bothered me if I
gave a crap about your school.
"Spartan teams are bound to win,

AP PHOTO
Jason Teague

Prediction: In the last three
weeks, Michigan's defense has domi-
nated Minnesota's rushing game for
a half and contained Purdue's pass-
ing offense for a full game. But that
doesn't mean the Spartans' attack
will be easy to shut down. Because
their quarterback can use his arm and
his legs, Michigan might have some
trouble.
But even if the Spartans are able to
move the ball, their defense will still
have to do its part. And while the unit
has shown progress, nothing it has
done thus far indicates it can contain
Michigan's balanced attack.
MICHIGAN 30, MICHIGAN STATE 21

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