paul bunyan trophy on the line: msu at michigan game preview

The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy

Michigan and Michigan State both need something to spark some life into their, to put it nicely, crappy seasons. This Saturday might be their chance. Saturday night in Ann Arbor marks the 119th meeting between the two schools, and the 74th time they will play for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, the Trophy was introduced 1953. Michigan leads the all-time series 75-38-5 and the trophy series 42-29-2. Michigan has won the last 4 contests, between the two.

Michigan

The two teams arrive in the middle of a transition year, and both have first-year head coaches who badly want a signature win. For Michigan (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten), the goals are simple: protect home turf, secure bowl eligibility, and keep the fanbase from turning restless. College Football Playoff hopes are essentially gone, but a strong finish still matters for a prideful program.

The player at the center of it all is true freshman quarterback Tommy Carr. He will make his first rivalry start after leading the Wolverines to a 28-21 road win at Rutgers, where he put up 320 total yards and three touchdowns. The performance made it clear he can and has the ability to handle the Wolverines offense. Running back Justice Haynes anchors the ground game and is backed by freshman phenom Savion Hiter.

Coming into the year, the duo of WR Andrew Marsh and RB Jordan Marshall was expected to be elite for the Wolverines. However, early season struggles have seen both players fail to live up to their potential, a trend that needs to be quickly reversed for an offense that has been sputtering. In a game like this, the Wolverines will need production from both members of their offensive duo.

Michigan State

Michigan State (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten) has just had a rough season, especially rough with the first year head coach Pat Fitzgerald . The Spartans’ goal is to play spoiler and end the four-game skid. An upset in Ann Arbor would put a beacon of hope into an otherwise gloomy season.

To pull it off, Michigan State will lean on an offense that is last in the Big Ten in early all categories. This is an offense that was decimated by offseason departures from both QB Aidan Chiles and WR Nick Marsh, and production simply has not been replaced. Wide receiver Rodney Bullock Jr. is the top perimeter threat and can stretch the field on explosive routes.

Bullock has tallied 21 catches for 253 yards on the young season and looks to stretch the field against a Michigan secondary that has been extremely inconsistent throughout the year. On the defensive side for the Spartans, Linebackers Caleb Wheatland, both experienced, are stepping up to steady a front seven thinned out by injuries.

The Mudbowl

In other news, rivalry weekend has another tradition. At noon on Saturday, the 92nd annual Mudbowl kicks off on the lawn at the corner of Washtenaw and South University, with Phi Delta Theta taking on Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The muddy football game remains one of the most beloved student traditions in all of The Big Ten. .

Takeaways

Michigan needs to win. A win would preserve some dignity and gives fans a reason for optimism about Carr’s development, but a loss would set fire to an already peeved Ann Arbor.  Michigan State has nothing to lose, which makes them very dangerous. In a rivalry this heated, the records tend to stop mattering once the ball is kicked off.