Wolverines HC Talks Rivalry, Spartans QB Threat
We are just under 12 hours away from the Michigan State Spartans' (4-3) battle under the lights in Ann Arbor with in-state rival Michigan (4-3).
This week, Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore gave his thoughts on the upcoming rivalry in his first season at the helm of the program.
"It's the next game but it's a big game, it's the state championship, and our guys are very excited," Moore said. "Obviously, down about what happened [last week], but excited to go compete against this team that they take a lot of pride in Paul Bunyan, keeping that trophy here. So, our guys are excited about the game and so are the coaches."
Michigan is responding from back-to-back losses and is freshly unranked for the first time since 2020 after losing to Illinois last weekend, 21-7. It has looked extremely underwhelming offensively and has struggled all season to score.
Moore began his coaching tenure with the Wolverines as the tight ends coach in 2018 and was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 2021. In his first seven games as head coach, taking over for Jim Harbaugh, Moore has turned this program from elite to mediocre.
Rolling off an undefeated national championship season, Harbaugh gave the reigns to Moore for the 2024 season, and considering several missing pieces from a season ago, the performance this year has been more than disappointing. It is hard to find a more drastic drop in success over one year.
Spartans sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles will face the Wolverines for the first time in his career. He will look to keep the momentum rolling after a statement performance against Iowa last weekend.
The Oregon State transfer threw for 256 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and rushed for 51 yards in the 32-20 win on Homecoming. It marks the second time this season Chiles has thrown for over 250 yards and rushed for 50-plus in a game.
Moore mentioned what his defense will have to do to keep Chiles away from chunk plays with his feet and buying time to throw in space.
"You gotta do a great job with the rush lanes, and that's something we're going to stress and talk about," Moore said regarding Chiles' running ability. "You gotta do that with that guy [Chiles], cuz once he gets outside the pocket, he can be dynamic. He can do some things to hurt you, so you got to keep him in the pocket you gotta really be disciplined with your lanes. Whether it's a four-man rush or a five-man rush of where you're at in the pocket, keeping him compressed, because if he gets out, he can make things happen with his feet, and he can make things happen with his arm. So, we gotta do things there and then mix up different looks for him so it's not easy, he can just look at his read and throw it to his read. Gotta do a good job of keeping him in his pocket."
Chiles is a big step up from the previous few quarterbacks that contributed to back-to-back losses to the Wolverines. Counter to his turnovers issues, the first-year starter has gradually improved over the past few games with decision making and accuracy and should look even better this week.
Both teams currently hold a 4-3 record but it feels as if each side possesses completely different records entirely.
The Spartans are trending upwards after a statement victory over Iowa on Homecoming last week, while the Wolverines have lost two straight, being outscored 48-24 in that time. The Wolverines have shown a major lack of effort and execution, specifically on the offensive side.
At the end of the day, this is a very even matchup with a pair of first-year head coaches commanding their programs. Both teams turn the ball over at an alarming rate and both possess strong defenses. Even though the momentum is with the Spartans, this will be one for the record books.
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