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Mitten Masterkey

Mitten Masterkey Week 10: State championship weekend for Michigan, Michigan State

The Wolverines and Spartans are due for their annual grudge match, this one at Michigan Stadium, in a year where both teams have underwhelmed in distinct ways.

Andrew Graham

— 4 min read
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Mitten Masterkey Week 10: State championship weekend for Michigan, Michigan State
(Rachel Leggett/Mitten Football)

The showdown to be the primary residence of one Paul Bunyan is set for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Michigan Stadium, when host Michigan welcomes bitter in-state rival Michigan State a rivalry that, this year at least, seems to lack the usual air in the vitriol and vibes going in.

That's what happens when the teams enter a combined 7-9 on the season, with MSU nursing a six-game losing streak and Michigan 2-3 in conference play. Once the game starts, though, it's a safe bet this rivalry will do what it often does.

Michigan is going for a five-straight win streak in this rivalry, which would be the first for either program since Michigan reeled off six wins in a row from 2002 through 2007.

And there's more MACtion to come next week, with Western Michigan traveling to Akron and Central Michigan hosting Sacramento State.

Dig in to get prepped for it all.

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Mitten Football will be at…

Michigan Stadium, of course (and then Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Wednesday), hanging out with Paul Bunyan. Remains to be seen how Michigan Stadium event staff feels about axes on the premises. 

The schedule and TV assignments

Games are Saturday unless otherwise noted.

7:30 p.m. — Michigan vs. Michigan State, Peacock (or NBCSN if your provider has that, somehow)
Tuesday (Nov. 10), 7 p.m. — Western Michigan at Akron, CBSSN
Wednesday (Nov. 11), 7:30 p.m. — Central Michigan vs. Sacramento State, ESPNU

And for the uninitiated, this master schedule absolutely rocks (just be aware times are central).

Listen to “In The Pocket”

Mitten Football is doing a podcast, with Andrew Graham and the Detroit News’ Connor Earegood covering all the CFB news, notes, happenings and the like across the Mitten each week. 

Pregame, halftime reading from Mitten Football, others

Picks, preview

Read the full joint here with all the analysis and scores.

  • Michigan over Michigan State
  • Western Michigan over Akron (Tuesday)
  • Central Michigan over Sacramento State (Wednesday)

A unit to watch: Central Michigan’s offense

With Jadyn Glasser playing like he has the past two weeks, this group has seen a notable shift in how the offense is playing, with Glasser providing a passing upside that injured starter Angel Flores simply didn’t. Glasser, a junior, is coming off a 14-of-19 for 175 yards and a touchdown performance in a rout of Eastern Michigan, and looked even better than he did in his first start of the season vs. Miami (OH). Head coach Matt Drinkall likened it to the improvement most teams have from Week 1 to Week 2, as that’s basically what it’s been for Glasser. 

And the passing production that Glasser has provided helps Central Michigan keep the rushing game churning while using the quarterback to run it a lot less. And Glasser does offer a bit of value as a rusher, particularly his ability to be a battering ram in the short area. But the long and short is the Central Michigan offense looked close to being actualized on Wednesday night, looking how the coaches probably hoped it could all along with a punishing run game complimented by an aggressive, play-action based downfield passing game with some quick game mixed in. If Glasser keeps it up and the run game keeps its level, it could be an enjoyable final three games for CMU on offense. 

A fun prediction: Michigan shuts out Michigan State’s offense

Not ruling out the possibility that Michigan gives up a defensive score somehow or that Kenneth Williams doesn’t pull a return out of a hat for a score for MSU. But, with the state of Michigan State’s health, it’s not really clear how the Spartans plan to score. Rutgers mostly managed it vs. Michigan by taking oodles of high-variance shot plays against single coverage to better receivers than what MSU has. Rutgers also got a few long runs from better (namely healthier) running backs than what MSU will roll out on Saturday night. And quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is banged up and questionable. Even if he does play, it could be scary hours for MSU’s offense. 

The 21 points allowed to Rutgers were the most all season by Michigan, and the Wolverines gave up the vast majority of yardage on five big plays that burned the defense. That was also a game Michigan played without its two starting edge defenders. Outside of the five explosives allowed, UM allowed 51 yards on 33 plays to Rutgers. And Rutgers, bad as its been, has more skill talent than MSU — especially this injured version of the Spartans. It’s not difficult to imagine the universe where Michigan slams the door entirely on Michigan State’s offense. And even that could still be a close game, given the state of Michigan’s own offense.

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