By Tiffany Williams –
Michigan showed up angry and left East Lansing with the Paul Bunyan Trophy — again. The 25th-ranked Wolverines slugged their way past Michigan State, 31–20, in front of 75,085 fans at a raucous Spartan Stadium on Saturday night, powered by a bruising ground game and a defense that smothered when it mattered most.
Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall ran through Spartan defenders like they weren’t even there. Haynes ripped off 152 yards and two touchdowns, his seventh 100-yard game of the year. Marshall added 110 and a 56-yard dagger late in the fourth that silenced the crowd and sealed it. Michigan finished with 276 rushing yards on 362 total, controlling the line of scrimmage from start to finish.
Michigan State had flashes — mostly from sophomore running back Makhi Frazier, who exploded for a career-high 109 yards on 14 carries, including a 49-yard sprint that sparked a touchdown drive. But turnovers and missed chances buried them. On just their third play from scrimmage, the Spartans coughed up the ball, handing Michigan a short field and an easy three points on a Dominic Zvada 21-yard field goal.
Bryce Underwood made it 10–0 later in the first, scrambling for a 13-yard touchdown — his fourth of the season. Michigan State finally punched back midway through the second quarter. Frazier’s long run set up quarterback Aidan Chiles’ 1-yard score to cut the deficit to 10–7. The Spartans’ defense stiffened, forcing punts and dragging the Wolverines into halftime with a one-score game.
Then the third quarter happened. Michigan’s first two plays went for 20 and 28 yards — both by Haynes — and he capped the drive himself with a 5-yard touchdown run. The Wolverines smelled blood. After a booming 67-yard punt by Hudson Hollenbeck pinned the Spartans deep, Michigan got the ball back near midfield and didn’t waste the field position. Haynes struck again from 14 yards out, extending the lead to 24–7.
Michigan State tried to hang around. Chiles connected with Marsh for 24 yards to set up a Brandon Tullis 1-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 24–13 early in the fourth. But the Spartans botched the two-point try and never got closer. Every time they seemed to grab momentum, Michigan’s defense — led by Jimmy Rolder and Derrick Moore — ripped it away. Rolder racked up 10 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Moore added two sacks and was a menace off the edge, combining with TJ Metcalf to stuff Michigan State’s last gasp on fourth down.
On the very next play, Marshall took a handoff, burst through a gap, and sprinted 56 yards to the end zone. That was the knockout blow — 31–13, and the Wolverines were already celebrating before the extra point.
Michigan State showed fight late. Redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic led a nine-play, 75-yard drive and hit tight end Michael Masunas for a 21-yard touchdown to make it 31–20 with under a minute to play. But it was too late. The Wolverines had already locked up their sixth win of the year and retained their claim to the state of Michigan.
The numbers told the story: Michigan’s defense allowed just five conversions on 16 third-down attempts and 305 total yards. The Spartans had spurts of life — Chiles’ 130 yards passing and his sixth rushing touchdown of the season, Frazier’s breakout night, a few defensive stands — but couldn’t withstand Michigan’s relentless front.
In the end, the Wolverines didn’t just beat Michigan State. They bullied them. They ran downhill, hit harder, and dictated every key moment. The Paul Bunyan Trophy isn’t going anywhere — and the message out of Ann Arbor is clear: Michigan still owns this rivalry.
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