Michigan vs. Michigan State: Game Grades, Analysis for Wolverines

Over the last eight years, Michigan State has owned the Michigan football program. Winning seven of those contests, it's been all Spartans in the Battle for the Bunyan rivalry game. But that looks to have changed this weekend as the Wolverines took care of business in East Lansing, 32-23, after a late fourth quarter comeback by MSU. 

Check out my game grades and analysis: 

Passing Offense: B

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Wilton Speight had another nice day as the Michigan signal-caller. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 244 yards and one interception. But the stat line doesn't say it all. Speight stood tall and strong in the pocket to make several big time third-down throws. 

As for his top target, that was Amara Darboh throughout the day. 

Darboh racked up 165 yards on eight catches, which included two of the best catches of the college football season, picking up huge down-and-distance situations for the Wolverines. 

Overall, it was a pretty nice day for the Michigan passing attack.

Rushing Offense: C+

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Going into the game, most, including myself, expected Michigan to run all over the Spartans. Well, that didn't happen exactly as the Wolverines were held to 192 rushing yards on the day on 42 rushing attempts. 

De'Veon Smith had a decent game himself, carrying the ball 11 times for 38 yards and two touchdowns. But he didn't see much of the field in the second half, where Michigan fell off on the offensive side of things. 

Luckily for Michigan, its most dynamic players were able to tout the rock enough times to put big plays on the board. That included Jabrill Peppers' first-quarter touchdown run and Eddie McDoom's two huge runs in the first half. 

It wasn't the best or worst day for Michigan on the ground. But it was still a passing grade.

Passing Defense: B

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Michigan's secondary is one of the best in the country and was expected to shut down the Michigan State passing attack all day long. Well, it was able to do so for the majority of the game before Brian Lewerke came in late in the fourth quarter to put up some big gains and a touchdown pass. 

The Spartans used three different quarterbacks throughout the game with all three combining to go 13-of-28 through the air for 184 yards and two touchdowns. 

Jourdan Lewis had himself another nice day as he had a huge interception near the end of the first half, which allowed Michigan to put three more points on the board before the break. But he also was called for a couple of pass-interference calls that helped set up the MSU comeback attempt. 

As for the main reason Lewerke and Michigan State were able to put up yards late was because of the lack of pressure from the defensive line. Luckily, Jabrill Peppers was able to step up and make a monster play on the game's biggest passing play. 

Michigan wasn't spectacular on Saturday, but it did more than enough to get the job done.

Rushing Defense: D

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Saturday was not the best day for the Michigan run defense as Michigan State was able to rack up 217 yards and one touchdown on 42 carries. 

Michigan's defensive line is the team's strength. It shocked a lot of people with its lack of pressure and ability to stop the run. That was partially because of MSU's strong offensive line showing and partly LJ Scott being a fantastic running back. 

Questions have arose about the Michigan run defense, but I think this was more of a rivalry-game stat sheet than anything else.

Special Teams: A

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After weeks of worry, Michigan fans were able to take a nice exhale as Kenny Allen took care of all three kicking duties like a true champ. 

Allen went 3-of-3 on field goals, including a 45-yard kick in the second half. He also handled punting perfectly without a single scare for a block or drop. 

As for what really gave Michigan a high grade, it was Jabrill Peppers taking a fumble to the house on Michigan State's two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game. It may not have been the most necessary play in the world, but it was the icing on the cake for Michigan's big win over its rival.

Coaching: C+

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Some Michigan fans may think this is blasphemy, but Michigan's coaching performance wasn't very good against Michigan State. And that's saying a lot since MSU's coaching work was much worse. 

Jim Harbaugh had his guys ready to play and battle in the first half but completely took his foot off the gas in the second half. 

Up 27-10 at the half, all signs pointed to the Wolverines blowing out the Spartans. However, Michigan played it easy on offense and allowed Michigan State to make a late comeback. 

It wasn't the prettiest game in the world, but Harbaugh and his crew did enough to bring Paul back to Ann Arbor.