Michigan looking forward to ‘State Championship’ to reenergize season

Late this past July, Sherrone Moore sat at a podium in Indianapolis at Big Ten Media Days and outlined his goals for the Michigan football team’s upcoming season. They were ambitious.

“Win the big games, beat our rivals, beat Ohio State,” the head coach said. “Win the Big Ten, go to the College Football Playoff, and win it.”

Saturday at Illinois, as the clock ran out and Fighting Illini fans hopped barriers and stormed onto the field, the majority of those ambitious goals that Moore laid out died. With a third loss almost certainly barring entry to the College Football Playoff and with a team that looks in no way ready to win the big games — especially against the Buckeyes — it’s easy to wonder what more the Wolverines can realistically accomplish to salvage their season.

While much of that can only be answered within the walls of Schembechler Hall, one thing has been clear all week: This weekend’s matchup with Michigan State holds added significance. Not just because Michigan is looking to snap a losing streak and not just because the Spartans are a beatable opponent, but because any game with a rival like Michigan State holds weight

“It’s the next game, but it’s a big game,” Moore said Monday. “It’s the state championship, and our guys are very excited. Obviously down about what happened, but excited to go compete against (the Spartans). They take a lot of pride in Paul Bunyan, keeping that trophy here.”

At this point in the season with bigger goals out of the picture for the Wolverines, retaining their pride has become the key goal, and this Saturday’s contest will be a major test of what Michigan can salvage. Coming into the season, the Wolverines were heavy favorites over Michigan State. But now, both squads are 4-3, the Spartans are coming off of their biggest win of the season, and the trophy game is expected to be tightly contested. 

While that could be seen as indicative of how far Michigan has fallen, the Wolverines are using it as motivation. This week’s contest has historical significance, this week’s contest is the ‘State Championship,’ and this week’s game is the first step they can take towards getting some of their season back. 

“The message is no different, we’re playing for a trophy,” junior defensive lineman Kenneth Grant said Tuesday. “We’re trying to keep that trophy and that history here, so just go out there and be violent. It’s an in-state rivalry, so you gotta come out and take their souls.”

Grant’s rough-edged rhetoric may seem hyperbolic, but in recent years, the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry game has been a turning point for various reasons. In 2021, the contest marked the Wolverines’ only regular-season loss and served as a rallying point. In 2022, the Spartans’ loss and the subsequent tunnel-fight turned into a scandalous low point. Now, again, the contest could again be a major moment in both teams’ seasons.

For Michigan State, a victory would set it well on the path to a bowl game and would serve as a positive marker in a rebuilding season. For the Wolverines, a loss would be a new low in an already frustrating season. Most of the goals that Moore set out in August have already gone out the window, but beating a key rival is still on the table. 

After last Saturday’s loss, junior tight end Colston Loveland told reporters that it was time for the Wolverines to start “wrecking seasons.” That starts in earnest on Saturday. Against Michigan State, there will be the stakes, the prestige and the opportunity to wreck a season by winning a big rivalry game — and that’s a goal Michigan can still salvage. 

The post Michigan looking forward to ‘State Championship’ to reenergize season appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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