Saturday night in East Lansing proved to be a close fought battle between the Spartans and Wolverines.   There wasn't much offensive firepower from either side, however, there were three game trends that had a large impact on the outcome of the game.

1.) Starting fast and setting the tone of the game 

The Wolverines elected to defer so began the game on defense. Just as Michigan State was driving down the field, Jaishawn Barham forced a fumble that was scooped up by Jimmy Rolder .  This changed the momentum of the game immediately and put Michigan in great field position.  The Wolverines were able to turn this change of possession into three points converting a 21 yard field goal.  

On the very next drive Michigan caused MSU to get a three and out, getting the ball back immediately.  Again, by getting the ball so quickly Michigan was able to keep the momentum and Bryce Underwood was able to score easily with his legs on a 13 yard rushing touchdown.  So within the first two drives of the game Michigan had complete control.

2.) Michigan plays stingy defense, not allowing much ground for the Spartans

For starters, the wolverines only allowed the Spartans to gain 14 yards of total offense in the first quarter.  There may have very well been a chance that the Spartans did not cross mid field more than once in the opening quarter.   One of the biggest stories of the Michigan defense is that they caused havoc in the backfield all night for Aiden Chiles all night long.  They were able to create pressure early and often getting at least three officials sacks by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.  Part of playing stingy defense is not allowing many explosive plays, and this was a proponent of the Michigan defense.  There was only one explosive play that the Wolverines allowed in the first half which was the 49 yard Makhi Frazier run that eventually let them to a one yard rushing touchdown by Aiden Chiles.  This was really the only thing to write home about for Michigan State in the first half. 

In the second half, same story, no explosive plays from the Spartans except a 24 yard pass to Nick Marsh that was initially called a touchdown but then ruled down at the one.  This again led to another MSU one yard touchdown run by Brandon Tullis.  All in all this was a huge reason that Michigan was able to control the momentum of the game; simply because the Spartans kept stalling out.  The Wolverines played a fast, physical brand of defense and that showed out on the field.

3.) Michigan's rushing attack busts wide open in the third quarter and beyond

As soon as the third quarter started it was the beginning of the end for Michigan State.  The Wolverines had two consecutive runs that went over 20 yards.  This led the Wolverines down the field easily for a rushing touchdown of five yards from Haynes.  As soon as the Wolverines got the ball back, they hit a big pass to Andrew Marsh for 27 yards which set them up nicely for good field position.  They took that play and ended the drive with another score on the ground from Haynes from 14 yards out.  The two back to back rushing touchdowns on consecutive drives were essential for setting Michigan up by two scores, and putting the game further out of reach for the Spartans. The third and final dagger was the 56 yard scamper from Jordan Marshall to put the Spartans away.

Conclusion

There weren't many fireworks from each team on either side of the ball, but when it came down to it the most, Michigan rose to the occasion and made more plays.  The Wolverines were able to secure a road victory against a rival by starting the game off fast, playing stingy defense, and coming out of the third quarter with a potent rushing attack. Once again, Michigan will keep Paul Bunyan in Ann Arbor.