Michigan vs. Michigan State: Score and Twitter Reaction

The little brother is all grown up now. And boy, does he keep beating up on the big brother.

For the sixth time in the past seven years, Michigan State defeated Michigan, hammering the Wolverines in the 2014 edition of the rivalry, 35-11. The Wolverines finally ended a streak of 11 quarters without a touchdown against the Spartans in garbage time, but the damage was long done by then. 

ESPN Stats and Information passes along a stat that will be beloved in East Lansing and loathed in Ann Arbor:

Behind a brilliant defensive effort (Michigan State forced three turnovers and held Michigan to 186 total yards), running back Jeremy Langford's huge afternoon (35 carries for 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns) and a steady performance from Connor Cook (12-of-22 with 227 passing yards, a passing touchdown and no turnovers), the Spartans dominated from the start and never looked back.

Michigan State set the tone early, receiving the opening kickoff and marching down the field. Langford capped off the eight-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge to give Sparty the lead. 

Much of the first half was a defensive struggle, but things heated up late. Michigan was finally able to get on the board with just over four minutes remaining in the half, as Jarrod Wilson forced a Josiah Price fumble at Michigan State's 31-yard line. Michigan couldn't gain a single yard on the subsequent drive, but Matt Wile bailed out the Wolverines, hitting a 48-yard field goal.

Michigan State wasn't about to offer Michigan a sliver of momentum, however. The Spartans promptly ripped off a nine-play, 73-yard drive capped by another Langford touchdown to take a 14-3 lead into the half. 

Suffice to say, the first 30 minutes were a Sparty-dominated affair. Just consider this stat from Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports:

Michigan's sputtering offense didn't provide a very entertaining product for the neutral fan, as Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network noted:

Michigan State's defense would continue its dominance in the third quarter. RJ Williamson would return a Devin Gardner interception 279 yards for a score, and the Spartans would shut down Michigan on its next drive.

That would set up Cook and the Spartans offense to deal the finishing blow. On the first play of Michigan State's drive, the quarterback connected with Tony Lippett on a 70-yard touchdown strike, giving the Spartans a 28-3 lead.

Game, set and match. 

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Or was it? Michigan finally awoke on offense after that, putting together a seven-play, 69-yard drive that put the Wolverines in scoring range. But the Spartans tightened, and Gardner was stuffed a yard short on fourth down from Michigan State's 10-yard line, which killed another drive.

It was a rough afternoon for Gardner. He finished 13-of-28 with 121 passing yards and two interceptions.

De'Veon Smith's one-yard touchdown run would end Michigan's touchdown drought against Michigan State, but Sparty couldn't even let the Wolverines have that moment, as they promptly drove down the field and scored again, with Langford reaching the end zone for a third time. The rout was complete.

SportsCenter on Twitter passed along the score:

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports thinks Michigan fans upset by the late touchdown might just be missing the point:

Not surprisingly, one of the themes in the aftermath of this loss will be Brady Hoke's job security or, perhaps more accurately, lack thereof. Albert Breer of NFL.com is among those who think the coach's time is up:

It's hard to see Hoke surviving this season. It might be a bit jarring on the team to cut him loose now, but it's become pretty clear that the program needs a change. 

But hey, misery loves company, and as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted, the Wolverines are far from the only prominent program to have fallen on hard times:

For Michigan State, meanwhile, a November 8 meeting against Ohio State now looms large. The winner of that game not only all but buys its ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game but also keeps its playoff hopes alive.

The Michigan vs. Ohio State game once was the highlight of the Big Ten season. These days, it's the Spartans and Buckeyes who are doing battle for all the marbles. It's just another reminder that the balance of power in the state of Michigan has started to trend toward the green side. 

Perhaps KC Joyner of ESPN put it best:

More than a few folks would argue that such a transformation has already occurred.