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Spartan Nation

Spartan Nation Absolutely Fired Up After Defeating Michigan

The Spartans dominated the Wolverines, and Spartan Nation was fired up because of it.
Nathan Berry|
Michigan State head coach gets excited with his players after Michigan missed a field goal in the first quarter at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
Michigan State head coach gets excited with his players after Michigan missed a field goal in the first quarter at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State defeated rival Michigan 15-6 on Saturday night. Let's see how Spartan Nation is reacting to the big-time victory.

Spartan Nation Reacts to Rivalry Game Against Michigan: First Quarter

The Spartans started off the game incredibly slowly on the offensive side of the ball, hardly gaining yards and first downs were incredibly rare. In some other games, this would have been a death sentence for the team, especially against a rival, but they were not the only ones struggling.

This is because the Wolverines also couldn't score in the first quarter, and MSU's defense gave fans real hope. However, Michigan started a good drive at the end of the quarter, and the fanbase split in two. Some believed MSU would go downhill from the second quarter onward.

However, others saw the tied score as a good sign for what was to come and believed MSU could get things going and potentially win the game.

Spartan Nation Reacts to Rivalry Game Against Michigan: Second Quarter

The Spartans started to pick up steam about halfway through the quarter when they were able to back Michigan up to the point where they could only punt to around the 50-yard line. With such good field position, the Spartans were then able to find a field goal.

Afterward, the defense stepped up big to get the ball back in MSU's hands, and the Spartans were able to replicate their last drive off of similar field position to get another field goal, going up 6-0 into halftime.

It had fans starting to hope more than ever before, and they let everybody know that MSU had a chance to do something great.

Spartan Nation Reacts to Rivalry Game Against Michigan: Third Quarter

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The third quarter was the most dominant by the Spartans so far in terms of possession time, though the only result of the quarter was three points for MSU.

Being up 9-0 with consistent momentum was giving fans a real reason to believe a win could be possible not just against Michigan, but also against other teams; however, most fans had their sights set on the Wolverines and how their offense was getting stuffed by MSU's very battered defense and forced to make costly turnovers.

Spartan Nation Reacts to Rivalry Game Against Michigan: Fourth Quarter

The game continued just as it had in the second and third quarters as the Spartans found another field goal with Liam Boyd and were able to force another turnover (a fumble this time around, the fourth of the night). Everybody put in their best effort, and the coaches were especially animated on the sideline against Michigan.

Off of the aforementioned turnover, the Spartans got to run out the clock more and get another field goal off the foot of Liam Boyd, who was having a perfect night and was the only player to put points on the board. The defense continued the shutout effort.

When the clock went under the two-minute warning and the Wolverines had nothing to lose anymore, the Spartans were unable to stop Michigan from scoring their first points. They did stop the two-point conversion and won the game by stopping the onside kick, which fired up Spartan Nation at the 15-6 win.

It's a season-defining win for the Spartans.

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Nathan Berry
NATHAN BERRY

Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.