Post-Game Notes: Michigan

SERIES
• With the 37-33 win on Saturday, Michigan State has now won 10 of the past 14 meetings against Michigan.

• Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker is the first Spartan coach to win his first two games against the Wolverines . . . last year, he joined Nick Saban as one of two Spartan coaches to beat Michigan in his first game against U of M.

• Tucker is 6-4 in his career against ranked opponents and 4-2 at MSU . . . at No. 6, this marks the highest-ranked opponent Tucker has beaten in his career.

• This marks MSU's first win over an AP Top 10 team since winning at No. 8 Penn State on Oct. 13, 2018 . . . this is MSU's highest-ranked win since topping No. 4 Iowa in the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game.

• Michigan State is 8-0 for the first time since 2015 and for the seventh time overall in school history (1951, 1952, 1965, 1966, 2010, 2015, 2021) . . . MSU is also 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2013 . . . the Spartans are 5-0 in the Big Ten for just the fourth time in school history (1965, 1966, 2013, 2021; MSU went 4-0-1 in 1963 and 1987).

• MSU is 4-1 against Michigan when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 10 (No. 2 MSU 9, No. 5 Michigan 0 in 1956; No. 2 MSU 35, No. 6 Michigan 6 in 1957; No. 5 MSU 28, No. 6 Michigan 0 in 1961; No. 7 Michigan 17, No. 9 MSU 10 in 1964; No. 8 MSU 37, No. 6 Michigan 33 in 2021).

• Michigan State is 11-7-1 against Michigan when both teams are ranked, including wins five of the last six matchups.

• Michigan State has defeated Michigan 22 times when the Wolverines are ranked in the AP Top 25, including 12 wins in the Top 10.

• Saturday's game marked the 114th meeting between Michigan State and Michigan. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 71-38-5, including a 21-15-2 record in East Lansing and a 19-15-1 mark in Spartan Stadium; however, since 1950, Michigan holds just a six-game edge, 38-32-2. Since 1953, the winner of the Michigan State-Michigan game has been presented the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The four-foot wooden statue was donated by then-Governor G. Mennen Williams to mark Michigan State's acceptance into the Big Ten. Since 1953, Michigan leads the series 38-29-2. The trophy depicts the legendary giant lumberjack astride an axe with feet planted on a map of the state with flags representing the schools.

OFFENSE
• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for five touchdowns (27 yards and 8 yards in second quarter; 1 yard in third quarter; 58 yards and 23 yards in fourth quarter), the most ever by any opposing player against Michigan . . . the five TDs tied for the second most in school history (record: six by Blake Ezor vs. Northwestern in 1989; five by Javon Ringer vs. Eastern Michigan in 2008) . . . the five rushing TDs were the most by any player in the 114-game history of the rivalry.

• Walker rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries (8.6 avg.), the third most by a Spartan against Michigan (T.J. Duckett with 211 yards in 2001; DeAndra Cobb with 205 in 2004) . . . it marks Walker's fifth 100-yard game of the season (264 vs. Northwestern; 172 vs. Miami; 126 vs. Western Kentucky; 233 vs. Rutgers) and 10^th of his career.

• Walker's first carry of the game was for 8 yards, putting him over the 1,000-mark for the season . . . Walker became the fastest Spartan to reach 1,000 yards in terms of carries in MSU history (153 carries; previous, Javon Ringer in 2007 with 154).

• Walker now has a career-high 14 rushing TDs this season and 15 overall . . . he has 1,194 rushing yards this season on 175 carries (6.8 avg.; 149.3 ypg).

• Walker also had three catches for 11 yards to give him 208 all-purpose yards . . . it marked the third time this year he has had more than 200 all-purpose yards in a game this season.

• The 37 points scored by Michigan State was the most ever by the Spartans against the Wolverines in a regulation game.

• Michigan State outrushed Michigan, 199-146 . . . the team that has gained the most rushing yards has won 46 of the last 52 games in the series.

• Jayden Reed led the Spartans with six catches for 80 yards, including a long of 28 yards on a fourth-and-4 play in the third quarter that led to an MSU touchdown.

DEFENSE
• Michigan State's defense forced two turnovers with one interception (Charles Brantley) and one fumble recovery (Jacub Panasiuk) . . . Saturday was the second straight game with multiple takeaways after three takeaways last game at Indiana (Oct. 16) . . . it was the Spartan defense's fourth game with multiple turnovers in the eight games, along with four takeaways at Miami (9/18) and three vs. Nebraska (9/25).

• MSU has had at least one interception in five of the eight games.

• The Spartans' fumble recovery was their sixth straight game with at least one fumble recovery, with one in each of the last five games along with two at Miami (9/18).

• The defense registered five pass break-ups, marking the second game in a row with five or more PBUs, after a season-high eight pass break-ups last game at Indiana (10/16).

• Junior linebacker Quavaris Crouch led MSU with 13 tackles, while sophomore safety Darius Snow and redshirt freshman linebacker Cal Haladay added 10 stops each, marking the first game this season with three players with double-figure tackles.

• Crouch's 13 stops matched his career-high for the second game in a row after 13 tackles vs. Indiana (Oct. 16) . . . Crouch has seven or more stops in each of the last five games as part of seven in the eight games . . . the junior linebacker added one pass break-up Saturday, for his second straight game with a PBU and his third of the season . . . Crouch now has 65 tackles this season, which is a collegiate career-best, topping his previous mark of 57 in 2020 at Tennessee . . . the 65 tackles are second on the MSU defense behind Xavier Henderson's 67 stops.

• Snow posted a career high for the second time in last three games, bettering his previous career-best of nine tackles vs. Rutgers (10/9/21) . . . he also tied a career-high with six solo stops Saturday and posting a new career-best four assists . . . Snow has logged five or more stops in each of the last four games.

• Haladay's 10 tackles matched his career-high vs. Western Kentucky (10/2) and was his seventh game with six or more tackles in the eight games.

• Senior safety Xavier Henderson added seven tackles and had the Spartan defense's only tackle for loss . . . Henderson has had at least one TFL in each of the last five games as part of seventh time in eight games, as he has 8.0 for the season, ranking second on the team . . . the safety added a pass break-up for the second time in last three games as part of three on the season.

• Freshman cornerback Charles Brantley snared his first career interception . . . Brantley also posted a career-high four tackles, bettering his previous best of three stops, last done at Miami (9/18).

• Senior cornerback Ronald Williams registered one pass break-up Saturday, marking the fourth-straight game with at least one PBU and he now has five on the season.

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Senior punter Bryce Baringer boomed a 66-yard punt in the second quarter, tying his second-longest of the season in back-to-back games after a 66-yarder last time out vs. Indiana (10/16) . . . Baringer finished with five punts for a 55.8 ypp average, his second-highest average of his career behind the career-best 58.8 ypp vs. Nebraska (9/25) . . . he also ended the day with four punts of 50+ yards, adding a 58-yarder in the fourth quarter, a 56-yarder in the first quarter and a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter for his fourth game this season with multiple punts of over 50-yards and tying for second-most behind five vs. Nebraska (9/25) and matching four at Miami (9/18).

• Senior placekicker Matt Coghlin had three PATs, and did not attempt a field goal for the first time this season . . . Coghlin is now 33-of-33 on PATs this season and 140-of-140 for his career . . . he now has 368 career points, needing nine points to tie Brett Swenson (2006-09) for the career scoring record in school history.

Players Mentioned

Bryce Baringer

Charles Brantley

Matt Coghlin

Quavaris Crouch

Cal Haladay

Xavier Henderson

Jacub Panasiuk

Jayden Reed

Darius Snow

Kenneth Walker III

Ronald Williams II