Top 5 MSU Victories Over Michigan Since 2010
It’s a game Michigan State Spartan and Michigan Wolverine fans look forward to every year.
It divides families, puts speaking terms on hold between friends, and prompts professional athletes to bet friendly jersey wagers with each other.
The bitter rivals will meet again this Saturday at The Big House under the lights. The Spartans are coming off an impressive victory against Iowa, while Michigan is coming off a loss to Illinois.
Both teams are 4-3 this season and looking to improve their chances of bowl eligibility.
This game carries lots of intrigue, but we have all week to think about 2024’s match-up. This is a historic rivalry with incredible games between the two teams.
For how boisterous Michigan is about its football pedigree and insistence on Michigan State’s inferiority, the Spartans sure do have a lot of big-time wins against that team down the road.
Let’s break down the Spartans’ top five victories against the Wolverines since 2010.
5. 2010: Michigan State 34, Michigan 17
This was Michigan State’s third straight victory against the Wolverines. It was much sweeter because it was a dominant effort in Ann Arbor.
Kirk Cousins tossed a deep touchdown pass to Mark Dell, and Edwin Baker ran for a long score. Le’Veon Bell and Larry Caper also had explosive runs that ended in the end zone.
The Spartans picked off Denard Robinson three times en route to a victory that kept them undefeated. Mark Dantonio had things rolling in East Lansing, and dominating the Wolverines felt good.
4. 2014: Michigan State 35, Michigan 11
This victory came during the height of Michigan State’s college football dominance.
The Spartans were just that in this game. They sacked Devin Gardner twice and picked him off twice. Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford had the offense humming, capping the game off with a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
At this point in the season, Michigan was in a tailspin, and Michigan State was defending its Big Ten title. The two teams were playing different sports on that warm, sunny fall afternoon in East Lansing.
3. 2013: Michigan State 29, Michigan 6
-48.
That’s how many rushing yards the Wolverines had in this game against the Spartans.
The 2013 Michigan State defense was one of the most dominant units in college football history, and that showed in this game. Green jerseys were constantly in the backfield, spinning Gardner backward and killing drives before they started.
The offense did not have to do much in this game, although Cook threw some nice passes. The run game accounted for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and this game was never in question for Michigan State.
After turning to Cook as the full-time starting quarterback, the Spartans’ momentum toward the Big Ten Championship had begun. Dismantling the Wolverines along the way was a memorable time.
2. 2021: Michigan State 37, Michigan 33
“Hello, New York! I’ll see you in a minute. Rest assured, I’m gonna be there.”
The words uttered by Gus Johnson during a dominant performance from Kenneth Walker III should have been true. Walker’s absence from the Heisman Trophy ceremony was among the most egregious snubs ever.
Michigan State trailed 30-14 late in the third quarter in this game. Then, Payton Thorne dropped a fourth-down pass to Jayden Reed in the bucket at the Michigan one-yard line. Walker punched in his third touchdown of the day, and a Tre Mosley two-point conversion made it a one-score game.
Walker would take two more touchdowns to the house to give Michigan State the lead with five minutes left. A Michigan drive ended in a Charles Brantley one-handed interception, and Paul Bunyan stayed home.
Walker finished the day with 197 yards and five touchdowns. This game will be talked about among Spartan fans for decades.
1. 2015: Michigan State 27, Michigan 23
Every college football fan knows those infamous seven words from Sean McDonough.
“Woah, he has trouble with the snap!”
It’s enough to make a Spartan fan smile and a Wolverine fan cringe.
This game was back-and-forth until Connor Cook could not come up with a fourth-down miracle, giving the ball back to the Wolverines with a two-point lead.
Michigan sent out the punt unit with 10 seconds left. It seemed like another year of Wolverine boasting.
Until Blake O’Neill dropped that snap.
Michigan State sent all 11 players after the punt. The ball was up in the air. It fell into the hands of Jalen Watts-Jackson, who took it all the way to the end zone, stunning the entire Big House crowd and sending the Spartans home with a victory in one of the most iconic plays in college football history.
This game eliminated Michigan from consideration for the College Football Playoff, while Michigan State remained undefeated. The looks on Jim Harbaugh's and Wolverine fans’ faces in the crowd were priceless.
What will 2024 bring us? If the last 15 years are any indication, we could be in for a classic.
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