Michigan State has nothing left to prove against Michigan; Spartans can compete with anyone

Michigan State has nothing left to prove against Michigan; Spartans can compete with anyone


Saturday, October 09, 2010, 10:12 PM
David Mayo | The Grand Rapids Press David Mayo | The Grand Rapids Press


ANN ARBOR -- Denard Robinson hung his head, something not seen around here this season until dusk began to fall over Michigan Stadium early Saturday evening. His Heisman Trophy hopes took a kick in the ribs. The infallibility of his Michigan Wolverines vanished over the course of less than three hours.

And the State of the State became clearer than ever.

Whether Michigan State finally has transformed into a dominant college football program remains to be seen.

Whether it has transformed into the dominant team within state boundaries has not.

The Spartans’ celebration after a 34-17 victory was surprisingly muted. They didn’t sprint en masse to their tiny sliver of fans in the southwest corner of Michigan Stadium for a round of sing-song praise. They didn’t toss helmets into the night sky. They didn’t, for sure, seem particularly surprised by the events of the day.



It is a team that has grown up, in a program that isn’t far behind, and they emptied the arsenal.

They intercepted two passes in the end zone and three on the day. They did not allow Robinson to run behind their defense a single time. They ran one play in which quarterback Kirk Cousins, on an end around from a Wildcat formation with Keshawn Martin taking the snap, threw a completion that covered half the field and set up a score. They ran the ball, then ran it some more.

And when the game ended, they reunited in the locker room with their head coach, Mark Dantonio, who worked from the press box three weeks after a heart attack, and Edwin Baker said he never had seen the boss so happy.

Baker, who rushed for 147 yards, said something else, too. He said the Spartans intended to show the whole world they were going to run the football, play Big Ten football, play championship-caliber football. Then, they did. His team is 6-0. The college football world is still theirs to seize.

“When you’re a little kid, you dream of playing games like this,” Baker said. “Today, we did that, and we had fun doing it. It’s a great feeling.”

For the third consecutive year, the Spartans handled the Wolverines, the first time they achieved such a feat since 1965-67, during the final vestiges of their last era of true national prominence.

But this time was different than the last two.

The game wasn’t close. There was no substantive Michigan rally, none of that gnawing feeling that Michigan State fans get in their gut -- the one bred into their lot, a virtual DNA strand unto itself, whenever these two teams meet -- that innately tells them to await the dropping of the other shoe.

That never happened because Michigan left points on the field. Plenty of them. Just about enough to make the difference in the game.

It never happened because Michigan State took those points away, forced Robinson to beat them with his arm, then discovered what others suspected, that if you can manage all of that, the sophomore dynamo isn’t consistent enough to win just with his arm.

Michigan was gallant. For much of the first half, it controlled the action. But it couldn’t stop the long play -- Michigan State had gains of 34, 61, 41, 41, 42 and 44 yards -- and it couldn’t win on Robinson’s heroics alone.

Three years ago, after Michigan pulled out an unlikely victory in this game, Mike Hart uttered his now-regrettable remark that spotting a lead to MSU, then coming from behind to win, was kind of like toying your little brother in basketball.

Michigan hasn’t beaten Michigan State in either football or men’s basketball since then.

“My freshman year, that was probably the worst feeling, being up in the game, then losing, and the comments after the game,” Greg Jones, Michigan State’s star linebacker, said. “I don’t understand. It was probably one of the worst feelings to have. I don’t think anybody wanted to have that feeling again.”

In a matchup of undefeated and nationally ranked teams, the Spartans responded with the biggest win in this series during the Dantonio era. They underscored that they are potentially a very, very good team with a balanced offense, the capability to make timely defensive plays, and outstanding special teams.

They have built a complete team capable of competing with anyone, nationally.

Whether they actually do so, they still have a half-season, plus a bowl game, to prove.

Whether they can do so with Michigan, debate no more.