EAST LANSING, Michigan. – Ranked No. 2 Michigan Wolverines stole all the signs of hope from Michigan State Spartans during their emphatic 49-0 shutout victory in their rivalry game for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
The Spartans were hesitant to play the Wolverines under the lights on Saturday (Oct. 21) due to all the outside noise related to Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff stealing signs from opposing teams’ sidelines.
MSU said they almost canceled the game after the allegations became widespread due to the safety and health of their players, and based on the outcome of the game, they should have followed their first mind because they didn’t They were no match for the corn men.
Michigan State football has been played at Spartans Stadium for 100 years, and Saturday’s boat race was the first time in the rivalry game that they had been held scoreless since 2000, when they lost 14- 0.
The shutout was also the first time the Spartans had been held to a draw at home in this rivalry since 1985, when the Corn Men won 31-0.
Losing by 49 while held scoreless is the largest margin of victory in rivalry history, and the onslaught started with the junior quarterback. JJ McCarthy.
JJ McCarthy
McCarthy had a career day against MSU throwing four touchdowns, including three in the first half.
The second-year starter set the tone from the start and never looked back as he finished the game completing 21-27 passes for 287 yards and the four touchdowns mentioned above.
“I thought our guys played really hard, and the dropback passing game was especially good because the tight ends had a heck of a game and JJ was on fire,” Harbaugh said. “Colston (Land of Love)AJ Barner, I mean, the whole team had a hell of a game.
McCarthy toned down Barner all night as the senior tight end led the team in receptions and receiving yards as he caught eight passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Loveland, who is Barner’s tight end, had his first career multi-touchdown game of his young career as he was second in receptions and yards, catching four passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
“We knew what we could do before the game, but I thought both sides of the ball did a great job,” Loveland said. “There will definitely be some things to clean up, but it was a good win.”
Loveland continued:
“JJ is a leader. We love this quarterback and we wouldn’t trade him for anything. He always has positive vibes. He always brings that positive energy and uplifts everyone around him, and we love him.
The Wolverines’ offense finished the day with 477 total yards, 357 through the air and 120 from the rushing attack with 28 first downs.
Harbaugh had high praise for McCarthy, who was a man among boys. He looked like West Lansing own Erving “Magic” Johnson on the field, the way he moved on the field, play after play.
“I think JJ is a once-in-a-generation quarterback,” Harbaugh said. “JJ has shown that he is on track to become the best quarterback in Michigan history, and I think going forward, JJ will be the quarterback that all future quarterbacks are compared to.”
superstar running back Blake Corum had an up-and-down day as he ran the rock 15 times for 59 yards and another rushing touchdown. He now ranks third with 44 all-time.
Corum talked about the brilliance of McCarthy’s performance and that he is a Heisman-type player.
“He’s on fire,” Corum said. “He knows how to make a play from nothing. He’s a hell of a player. When it comes to the Heisman, put him up there, he deserves it.
Defense
The Wolverines defense achieved one of its goals of the season, and it happened at just the right time as they finally gave a shout as it only took eight games.
MSU was held to two first downs in the first half and 190 total yards with 133 passing and 57 rushing with 10 total first downs throughout the game, thanks to a plethora of playmakers.
Colson Junior led the team with 11 total tackles, followed by Will Johnson with five and Derrick Moore with four and a bag.
Junior defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows managed to excite the Turnover Buffs after throwing one of the team’s two interceptions. He was one of the players who was attacked in the tunnel by some Spartans players inside Michigan Stadium last season.
To see him come back a year later in the same game and overcome that adversity while racking up the interception and three total tackles shows that he is a true stud who can overcome anything.
The loudest defense came from the senior defensive back Mike Sainristilwho single-handedly dominated the Spartans by taking the pigskin to the house 72 yards.
The interception, return and score were his second of the season.
“The game plan for our defense tonight was to come out here and take care of business,” Sainristil said. “The coaches came up with a great game plan for us, which was just doing their, you know, they’re going to try these trick plays, but they were setting us up for success all week. We were well prepared. We knew what was going to happen. So, a big congratulations to the coaches.
Sainristil continued:
“We, as the No. 2 ranked team in the country, are prepared the same way as we go out there and dominate. Our mindset is like a game like tonight, it’s true, we won 49-0, but the problem for us is: “How can we improve even after a 49-0 victory?” We all support each other. We are one team. We take care of each other. We live for each other. When they (the offense) are on the field, we lift them up. Sometimes I ask JJ, “Yeah man, why don’t you give us about six to seven minutes to let us rest a little bit, and we’ll give you the ball back.” I call him the “miracle boy”, he’s my man.
Michigan (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) has won 18 straight Big Ten Conference games, the second-longest streak in school history, and will look to continue its winning streak after its ninth bye week when it hosts the Purdue Boilermakers on Nov. 4 inside the Big House.
For the Spartans (2-5, 0-4) during the second half of the assault, things became more brutal as the school had to issue a statement regarding their Pre-match scoreboard quiz showing Adolf Hitler’s image while asking him which country he was born in.
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