Well, here we are. It’s tough to remember a battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy with less juice to it than the 2023 version as both power programs in the state of Michigan are in very different places competitively.

Michigan (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten play) still has all of the team's goals ahead of them this season, as the Wolverines will control their own destiny to a possible third-straight Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff berth. Meanwhile, many Michigan State fans on hand are more intrigued with who will be the next head coach of the football program.

Still, the guys have to put on the pads and play ball. Not too long ago in 2020, Michigan State fans witnessed a Rocky Lombardi-lead MSU team come into Ann Arbor and steal one from the Wolverines as a three-touchdown underdog. Although that year was disrupted by COVID-19 and there was no crowd at Michigan Stadium for the game, it’s fair to say not many gave the Spartans a chance that year.

Yet, this game feels different in 2023. The Spartans (2-4, 0-3) will have to put together the best four quarters of football they’ve played all season to beat their in-state rival. The problem is, they haven’t been able to put a full game together this season. In each of the last two conference games, the Spartans looked like the better team for most of the contest, but undisciplined mistakes let potential victories slip away.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser put together a solid first start in a rainy and windy environment last weekend at Rutgers and represents one of the bright spots for Michigan State heading into the weekend. The defense has played much better as well since conference play began. Even in down years, historically, the Spartans seem to save their best for the matchup versus Michigan. I don’t see that being different this year.

However, let's rewind to when things were going the Spartans' way in the series. For the rivalry playback installment, we go back to 2009 in Mark Dantonio’s first of many home victories over the Wolverines.

Opponent: Michigan Wolverines

Date: Oct. 3, 2009

Location: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing, Michigan)

Final Score: 26-20, Michigan State

All-time Matchup Record: 72-38-5 Michigan

2009 Game Recap:

In 2009, the Spartans hadn’t won back-to-back games versus Michigan since 1966 and 1967. Times were different. Michigan had just hired head coach Rich Rodriguez and had big plans for their immediate future. The Wolverines entered Spartan Stadium undefeated and were expected to avenge their loss from the 2008 season in Ann Arbor — the first time UM had lost to MSU at home since 1990.

In East Lansing, head coach Mark Dantonio was entering his third year at the helm and was in the beginning stages of building the program up the way he wanted it to look. The start of that 2009 season was rough, with early losses to Central Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. At the time, perhaps some fans weren’t totally bought in on Dantonio — the tides changed following this game.

The Spartans controlled most of the first half, holding Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier in check and limiting the Wolverines to just two field goals. MSU running back Larry Caper ran in a one-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and kicker Brett Swenson hit a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the second quater to put MSU up 10-6 going into halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, Michigan State's defense forced Michigan into a fourth-and-inches situation at the Wolverines' 16-yard line. Michigan attempted a fake punt, which blew up when punter Zoltan Mesko was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. That set up another Swenson field goal and Glenn Winston's 15-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter gave Michigan State a 20-6 lead.

Michigan did not go down easy. Forcier had two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, which allowed UM to come back from 14 points down and force overtime in the Wolverines' first road game of the season. The freshman hit wide receiver Roy Roundtree for a nine-yard score with just two seconds left in regulation.

In Michigan’s first possession of overtime, a tipped ball from Forcier in the end zone landed in the hands of defensive back Chris L. Rucker as MSU intercepted it and give the Spartans a chance to win on their ensuing possession.

A few plays later, on a third-down-and-9 play in which the Spartans were only looking for a few yards to give Swenson a better opportunity at a game winning field goal, Caper broke a tackle and took it to the house to give Michigan State the victory. This would be the first of many home victory against the Wolverines for Dantonio.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.