3 Most Stunning Stats From MSU Football's Marvelous Michigan Win
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — All can be right in East Lansing for a few days.
Michigan State did it in a game that was just shocking all-around, taking down Michigan 15-6 on Saturday night. Some of what makes this victory so interesting for the Spartans is that there is no doubt which team was better. This previously 2-6 MSU squad straight-up outclassed the 5-3 Wolverines.
It's tough to paint the picture on everything with just three statistics, but these are the ones that illustrate what Saturday was most:
38:07 Time of Possession
Firstly, it felt like Michigan State had the ball nearly the whole game. Each team wound up getting 11 drives in this game (10 for MSU if you exclude the final kneel-downs). Even though the Spartans have, statistically, the most dreadful offense among all the Power Four teams and UM had the No. 3 defense in the nation entering Saturday, Michigan State did everything it could to hold onto the ball.
Sure, there weren't any touchdowns, but, obviously, MSU didn't need any with how its defense played. The offense still did its thing, though, getting at least one first down in all but one drive and averaging about seven plays per possession. The masterpiece was the 17-play, 79-yard field-goal drive during the third quarter. It drained a whopping 10:41 off the clock, starting at the one-yard line, and it put Michigan State up by two scores.
+4 Turnover Differential
It was clear the Spartans needed things to get a little wonky for them to win this thing. Boy, did things get wonky. Michigan State entered rivalry week with just five takeaways this year -- it was tied for the fewest among the Power Four.
Naturally, that all adds up to MSU forcing four turnovers against Michigan. NiJhay Burt was the catalyst behind two of them, forcing one fumble and swiping a deep, 50/50 ball for an interception. Rush end Anelu Lafaele was also credited with a forced fumble (recovered by Nikai Martinez), and safety Devin Vaught had an interception. The defense stood on its head and then some at the perfect moment.
14+ MSU Players Out
What also adds to the thrill of victory for Michigan State (and the humiliation of defeat for Michigan) is that the Spartans are as injured as any team anybody's ever seen. MSU listed 14 different players as "out" on its game-day report, and that was with four of the team's five "questionable" players being able to suit up. The injuries have been largely to the team's best players, too: Cam Edwards, Jaziun Patterson, Jayden Savoury, Ben Roberts, Jordan Hall, etc.
The injuries didn't stop in-game, either. Vaught got hurt early in the game and re-emerged on the sideline in street clothes. Starting wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. left the game. Pat Fitzgerald has said several times that he hasn't seen an injury situation quite like this during his career, making it all the more remarkable that Michigan State did what it did on Saturday night.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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