EAST LANSING, Mich. — It’s never been terribly complicated.
You want to win the Michigan-Michigan State game, you better be able to run the football.
In the last 51 meetings between the rivals, the team that wins the rushing battle has prevailed 45 times. And as No. 8 Michigan State gets set to host No. 6 Michigan at noon on Saturday, it will, no doubt, be one of the focal points of arguably the biggest game in the history of the series.
Michigan leads the Big Ten in rushing and is fifth in the nation, averaging 253.3 yards a game behind the two-man assault of Blake Corum (729 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Hassan Haskins (602 yards, 10 touchdowns).
Michigan State averages 200.4 yards a game, led by Kenneth Walker III, who has 997 yards and nine touchdowns and leads the nation, averaging 142.4 yards a game.
The Spartans have been balanced offensively. The Wolverines, however, have been run heavy, and slowing down that ground attack will be near the top of the list of priorities for Michigan State.
“Obviously, defensively you have to stop the run,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “You would like to try to make opponents one dimensional if you can and then affect the quarterback with rush and coverage. So, in the run game we have to set the edge and build a wall. We have to do a really good job with our perimeter run support and not just in the run game, but some of the wide receiver screen and the bubble game outside.”
Michigan State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) has fared well this season against the run. The Spartans are allowing 121 yards a game, which ranks 31st in the nation, and they haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher yet this season.
But they also haven’t faced a rushing game like the Wolverines (7-0, 4-0), who are strong up front and keep hammering away with their 1-2 punch of Corum and Haskins.
“They’re both really strong, and they train themselves to be that way,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “They both have the natural, God-given ability, the things that running backs crawl out of the crib having — athletic ability, balance, innate ability to see the hole and balance and contort their bodies.
“It’s amazing … And the tenacity, too. A real drive. Just two high-drive individuals with a ‘will not be denied’ mentality. Also, very tremendous attributes to have. Respect the heck out of both of them. I think they’re both true football players.”
And that Michigan offensive line, once a maligned group, has come together to pave the way.
“It inspires us,” left tackle Ryan Hayes said of blocking for two talented backs. “We're going to block as hard as we can, but sometimes we might miss something here and there. They’re going to make us right, and sometimes we’ll make them right. It works out well for us.”
It’s a rushing attack that certainly has the attention of the Spartans, who have yet to allow a team to gain 200 yards on the ground the season, let alone come close to the Wolverines’ season average of better than 253 yards a game.
But the Spartans are strong up front, especially in the interior of the defensive line, led by tackles Jacob Slade and Simeon Barrow. They’re more athletic at linebacker, too, and safeties Xavier Henderson and Angelo Grose are the team’s leading tacklers.
They’ll all have their hands full Saturday.
“They’re run heavy, and for a good reason,” Henderson said. “They’ve got a solid O-line with two pretty good backs that kind of bring a little bit of different things to the table. Corum is a little shiftier. He still has some size to him and packs a punch. Haskins is a bigger dude and falls forward a lot.
“The tight ends do well blocking and they’ve got a nice RPO game, too. The quarterback can throw it on a rope pretty well, and then they take their shots, too.”
If the Spartans are successful in limiting the Wolverines on the ground, it will be interesting to see if Michigan has a counter through the air.
To this point, Michigan hasn’t had to do much besides simply run the ball. Cade McNamara has started all seven games for the Wolverines and has done just what Harbaugh has wanted — manage the game and not make any critical mistakes.
McNamara is 92-for-146 for 1,115 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception, but he hasn’t yet been a true difference-maker. If he struggles, the Wolverines could turn to freshman J.J. McCarthy. The former five-star recruit has had some highlight-reel moments, but has been limited in his opportunities.
In five games, McCarthy is 12-for-19 for 212 yards and two touchdowns and has also proven he can make plays with his feet, rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. But as a true freshman, it will be interesting to see if Harbaugh is comfortable using him in a game of this magnitude.
Regardless of who is under center, though, the Spartans will start with containing the running backs and go from there.
“They have good players at every position — same thing at quarterback,” Tucker said. “So, we’ll have to see what their game plan is going to be, if we’re going to see that and what plays they’re going to run if they put another quarterback in the game. We can’t assume that they’re just going to be runs, designed runs. We can’t assume anything. We have to read and react and play our responsibility, read our keys and do our jobs on those plays.”
