By Staff
At high noon in East Lansing the Michigan Wolverines are going to teach the Michigan State Spartans a lesson.
The Spartans have played all the pretenders in the Big Ten Conference and now it's time they faced some of the contenders.
Michigan, led by a defense that totally dismantled one of the better passing attacks in Purdue last weekend, it bent on revenge.
The Wolverines got "robbed" by the Spartans' clock keeper two years ago and it's time for pay back.
This time around, the clock can't work in the Spartans' favor as the Big Ten addressed that situation with new rules.
That means if Michigan State beats Michigan this time around they will have earned it.
Michigan State has been the surprise of the Big Ten this season thanks to a marvelous coaching job by John L. Smith and the return of Jeff Smoker at quarterback.
Both are truly amazing stories.
There were more than a few eyebrows raised when the Spartans named the former Louisville coach to lead the Spartans.
His aggressive style and personality have won over the MSU faithful.
Smoker we all hope can stay on the straight and narrow.
His story is an inspiration to all of us who like to look for the best in sports.
Smoker has apparently overcome substance abuse to reclaim his starting spot.
As a result, he will leave Michigan State University as one of its all-time greats.
But this Saturday Smoker will have his hands full with a Michigan defense that destroyed Purdue's vaunted passing game.
The Wolverines came on blitzes from everywhere on the field and totally disrupted the timing of the Purdue offense.
Where this defense was against Oregon and Iowa is anyone's guess.
If Michigan was as aggressive on defense and offense in those two games as they were last week, the Wolverines would be coming into East Lansing undefeated and as one of the top teams in the country.
Instead, the Wolverines are playing the survival game.
Michigan must win the remaining games on its schedule to take the Big Ten championship and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
The Spartans will be trying to remain undefeated in the Big Ten and atop the standings.
The Spartans are going to have to find a way to stop Michigan's defense from attacking Smoker and a way to stop John Navarre and Braylon Edwards from dancing in the Spartans' end zone.
This should be a classic. When the Wolverines and Spartans get together it usually is.
With all that is riding on Saturday's game, I expect to see one of the better games in this series.