Ah "how sweet it is" as Jackie Gleason used to say on "The Honeymooners" comedy sitcom in the late 1960s.
Any day that Michigan loses a football game and Michigan State wins a football game is a great day. When Michigan State beats Michigan (as happened today, Saturday, 10-25-08) it is a glorious day.
That would be because Michigan State had not beaten Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor since 1990, 18 years ago. The Spartans finished 8-3-1 that year, became Big Ten Co-Champions at 6-2, and beat Southern California 17-16 in the John Hancock Bowl. The coach was George Perles.
Michigan State's last victory over Michigan was a 26-24 win at home in 2001.
The Spartans huge win Saturday pushed their record to 7-2 for just the 3rd time in 40 years. First-year coach Rich Rodriguez and his Wolverines are having their worst season since 1962, when Michigan finished 2-7 and tied a school record for losses. The Wolverines now have lost 4 games at home this season for the first time in 4 decades, and 4 in-a-row overall for the first time in 41 years.
Michigan, which has college football's winningest program, now has to win its final 4 games-three of which are on the road, including one at Ohio State-just to be eligible to play in a 34th straight bowl game.
Michigan State's victory was even sweeter because a blown call by a replay official gave Michigan a touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game at 7. Had the Spartans not ultimately won, the Wolverines would have benefited from a touchdown it did not score when Brandon Minor's 19-yard catch near the end zone was declared out of bounds.
A replay official upstairs in the stands overturned a correct ruling on the field, giving Minor a TD because his foot hit a pylon on his way out of bounds. The NCAA rule book states that "A player or an airborne player who touches a pylon is out of bounds".
The replay official clearly blew the call, which was so blatant, so stupid and so unnecessary it makes you wonder if the replay official in question is a University of Michigan graduate.
The game was tied at 21 when the 3rd quarter ended. Michigan State's Javon Ringer scored his second TD on a 3-yard run midway through the 4th quarter, and Brian Hoyer's 3rd TD pass meant the Spartans outscored the Wolverines 14-zip in the last quarter, lifting Michigan State to a 35-21 victory over the once-mighty Michigan Wolverines.
Ringer, Michigan State's Heisman candidate, picked up 194 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 37 carries (5.2 yards per carry). Hoyer was 17-for-29 for 282 yards and a season-high 3 TD passes, one a 61-yarder to Blair White. White finished with 4 catches for 143 yards, an outstanding game for the walk-on junior wide receiver.
The Spartans out gained Michigan 473-252, their highest total in a win at Michigan Stadium in a half-century and their most lopsided victory in the rivalry since they beat Michigan 34-0 at the Big House in 1967.
Michigan State also out rushed Michigan in its victory Saturday, 167-84, a fact that is significant since the team that has rushed for the most yards has won 35 of the last 38 games in their rivalry.
The Spartans next host Wisconsin, a 4-4 team that beat Illinois 27-17 Saturday. Should Michigan State beat Wisconsin and Purdue at home, the Spartans would then be 9-2 when they travel to Penn State for their final regular season game.
After Saturday's victory over the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio and his Spartans deserve to bask in glory for at least 15 minutes before they turn their attention to those nasty Wisconsin Badgers, who will arrive at Spartan Stadium all too soon.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
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