Mark Dantonio Field at Michigan Stadium

Since former Michigan running back Mike Hart described Michigan State as the Wolverines’ “little brother,” the Spartans are 8-2 against the noisier and more affluent program.

Since that moment, Mark Dantonio is 2-1 against Jim Harbaugh, 3-1 against Brady Hoke, 3-0 against Rich Rodriguez, 4-1 in Ann Arbor, 3-1 against top-15 Michigan, 5-0 in UM-MSU games decided by 10 or more points, 1-0 in games decided by flubbed punt debacles, and roughly 1-0 in hideous weather conditions (I can’t remember/find an example of a recent game in the series before 2017’s that involved conditions like Saturday’s).

When Michigan State beats Michigan, two things are often true:

In the second half, three straight Michigan drives ended in interceptions, each one punted or fumbled right back as the rain kept falling and the clock kept dying. On Michigan’s final drive, a wide-open drop by Eddie McDoom gave us this GIF:

After the game, Harbaugh acknowledged UM’s 35 pass attempts to only 39 runs as a valid criticism (MSU had 22 throws to 40 runs).

Also after the game, Dantonio said of the rivalry, “We’ve done it eight times, so I don’t know why there’s a lot of doubt.”

And yes, the Spartans still remember “little brother.”

“It’s definitely talked about, it’s definitely played before the game,” quarterback Brian Lewerke said. “It’s something that motivates us. I think Coach D uses it very well for motivation for us, so we definitely don’t like that comment.”

Time for our annual trip back to 2007: