Michigan and Michigan State are no strangers to each other as blood rivals. There’s a lot going on this year, with the Wolverines wanting to avenge last season’s end of game craziness, and the Spartans wanting to upset the No. 2 team in the land.
Michigan-Michigan State 2016 is already getting scrappy
Calm down, you guys.
But on a tackle by Michigan DB Delano Hill, the extra curriculars began in East Lansing in this year’s rivalry renewal.
The rip at the end, when the play was clearly dead, was one thing. The shove was another issue entirely. Michigan State TE Josiah Price trips, which makes this look worse than it probably was initially, but you can’t ignore the post-play push.
There was some more shoving later on by Michigan OL Mason Cole, but it wasn’t called.
Instead, Michigan State’s Malik Mcdowell got penalized for ripping Cole off of the pile.
These tussles are just more in a long line of chippy things in the rivalry.
Two years ago, Michigan planted a stake in the field in East Lansing to prove a point pregame. During the actual game, Michigan State made a statement of their own.
Last season, Michigan’s Joe Bolden got tossed for targeting, then had a little victory lap on his way out of the Big House.
What I’m trying to say is, the smart money’s on the above shove not being the only extracurricular this afternoon.
Michigan State has a fiery defender on its defense as well in LB Riley Bullough. He’s notable for being thrown out of a game in which he committed three personal fouls in 11 minutes earlier this season, including this one:
Look, I’m all for playing to the whistle and I don’t even think that late hit’s that bad, but in a supercharged rivalry atmosphere, something like that could be the spark that lights up a potential skirmish.
These teams just plain don’t like each other. Stay tuned.
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