Lavert Hill bounced down the 

Michigan sideline, waiving his arms 

in jubilation with his helmet in hand. 

Behind him, the rest of the Wolverines 

did the same, spilling onto the field, 

toward the stands and everywhere in 

between.

The celebration — set off by Hill’s 

fourth-quarter interception — had been 

brewing all game, as No. 15 Michigan 

(5-2 Big Ten, 8-2 overall) charged toward 

a 44-10 win.

“When (Hill) got his pick, you could 

just feel the intensity, you could feel it 

through him,” said senior safety Josh 

Metellus. “And the vibe that he had just 

went throughout the whole stadium, 

from the field to the fans to the top row. 

You could just tell that this team knew 

that we did today.”

It was a day that started like very few 

in the recent history of this rivalry. For 

11 years before Saturday, Michigan State 

(2-5 Big Ten, 4-6 overall) had avoided 

losing back-to-back games against 

the Wolverines, marking its longest 

period of in-state dominance since the 

1950s. But on the back of four straight 

Spartans losses, the pregame air carried 

an encompassing sense that this was 

Michigan’s year.

The win, though, wasn’t always so 

straightforward.

Three quarters before jubilation 

radiated through Michigan Stadium, 

Shea Patterson lined up with his heels 

on the goal line, staring down 98 yards of 

empty grass in front of him.

That’s how you begin a drive when 

you can’t get anything going offensively, 

when even your defensive stops concede 

field position, when a seemingly lopsided 

rivalry matchup is tied, 7-7, midway 

through the second quarter.

Twelve plays later, it was all forgotten.

Nick Eubanks flexed in front of the 

student section, touchdown catch in 

hand, capping off a magnificent, ruthless 

scoring drive. It was everything once 

promised out of Josh Gattis’ offense, 

with Michigan’s best offensive weapons 

being put in positions to exploit a 

depleted Spartans’ defense.

The Wolverines carried that 

momentum through the rest of the day, 

scoring on their last eight drives and 

erasing the tone of offensive frustration 

that marked a disappointing first 

quarter.

“It was just a huge drive,” said 

sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell. And 

once we put points on the board, you 

could just feel it rolling and we just 

stepped on it and kept it going.”

Patterson stood at the center of it all, 

the protagonist in a story of shifting 

rivalry tides. Hailed as the final piece of 

a program on the precipice of glory when 

he arrived from Ole Miss two years ago, 

Patterson’s time in Ann Arbor won’t end 

with a national championship or a Big 

Ten title. There’s no Heisman Trophy 

heading to Schembechler Hall next 

month.

What he has is a second-consecutive 

Paul Bunyan Trophy.

It’s a trophy Patterson clutched 

Saturday afternoon at midfield, fresh off 

the best performance of his Michigan 

career — eclipsing his domination of the 

Spartans last year. After entering the day 

without a 300-yard game as a Wolverine, 

he finished with 384 yards and four 

touchdowns.

“Just wish I had two more shots at 

them,” Patterson said postgame, his 

typically stoic face dotted with emotion. 

“Just wish I had four shots at them. It 

was a lot of fun.”

Bell was the biggest beneficiary in 

Michigan’s receiving corps with 150 

yards on nine catches, his being one of 

many standpoint performances. This 

was an all-encompassing display of 

dominance, spreading to the Wolverines’ 

defense, with its three sacks, two 

interceptions and 3.7 yards allowed per 

play.

It’s a display of dominance that 

continued to cement Michigan’s 

re-emerging control over the state — a 

significance not lost on these Wolverines.

As the teams congregated at midfield 

postgame, the Spartans tried to linger, 

offering a few words of contention 

toward Michigan’s sideline — just one 

confrontation in a day full of them. 

Metellus wasn’t having it.

“I was telling them to go home,” 

Metellus said. “It’s time for them to 

leave. They don’t deserve to be in our 

stadium.”

Natalie Stephens & Alexandria Pompei / Daily Design by Jack Silberman

THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Editor

WOLVERINES SEND SPARTANS BACK TO EAST LANSING WITH BLOWOUT LOSS

Monday, November 18, 2019 | michigandaily.com

Natalie Stephens & Alexandria Pompei / Daily Design by Jack Silberman

