Starting every year in training camp, Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff educate their players weekly on the Michigan-Michigan State game. On what it means and how it's won -- or more often, how it's lost. As 20-point favorites this year, the Wolverines should beat the Spartans so long as they don't beat themselves.
That's one of Harbaugh's messages to his team ahead of Saturday night's clash at the Big House.
"One of the things, penalties are really important -- not to get them, not to do anything, not to be an idiot and cost your team," Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "You coach them, if there is going to be some chippy stuff, it’s the second guy that always gets flagged, always. You gotta teach that, coach that and we’ll remind them again about that in this game. Smart situational football, a lot of these games come down to that more than anything else."
Michigan has been the most penalized team in each of the last four meetings. It hasn't won since 2019, a 44-10 drubbing at the Big House in one of Mark Dantonio's final games as Michigan State head coach. Mel Tucker has gotten the better of Harbaugh since arriving in 2020, including last year when the Spartans erased a 16-point second-half deficit to stun the Wolverines in East Lansing.
Which adds a little fuel to Harbaugh's fire this year. He said Michigan's desire to beat Michigan State is "10 out of 10" every year, but "maybe you're going to the movie Spinal Tap and it's 11 out of 10, maybe the result of last year makes it an 11 out of 10."
Harbaugh said at the outset of the season that beating Michigan State is one of Michigan's four goals this year, along with beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten championship and the national championship. Can't achieve the last two without achieving the first. The Wolverines should be able to impose their will on Saturday, but Harbaugh's not afraid to reach deep into the playbook if he has to.
"Everything's on the table, everything's open," he said. "If you’ve been saving something, now is the time get it off the call sheet. Offense, defense, special teams, this is the game to do it and I think that’s why you’ve seen it done so many times in this game. Every rivalry game that’s really good has that same quality: everything’s open. Win by any means necessary. Trick play, onside kick, fake this, fake that, it’s all open."
It's a mismatch on paper, 7-0 Michigan against 3-4 Michigan State. The No. 4-ranked Wolverines have more talent, more speed and more size at just about every position. But as Harbaugh knows, "Throwing out the record is really what you have to do in this game." It can go either way.
"It's one of our top goals," he said, "and I’m sure it’s one of their top goals. One of those games that makes your season. When you win it, you have tremendous memories of the season."
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