When he took over at Michigan State last fall, Pat Fitzgerald said he understood the importance of the Michigan rivalry. In his first attempt against the Wolverines, he showed it.
The Spartans beat the Wolverines, 15-6, in the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
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The Spartans and Wolverines took the phrase “defensive battle” to a new level in this one, as every field goal felt like something to celebrate and every good punt a game-changing play. The final total? Five MSU field goals, zero from Michigan. The Wolverines scored the game’s only touchdown with 1:35, then missed the 2-point conversion to effectively end the game.
Michigan freshman quarterback Tommy Carr, coming off the best game of his young career against Rutgers, struggled mightily in his first rivalry game, finishing 14-for-26 for 138 yards, with a fair amount of that coming in garbage time.
He was not helped at all by a Michigan rushing attack that was stuffed all night, rushing for just 54 yards on just 2.1 yards per carry.
The Spartans were far from prolific on offense, but certainly better than Michigan. MSU had 17 first downs compared to 13 from the Wolverines and outgained them 298-192.
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THE GAME: Michigan vs Michigan State live updates, game score, highlights
MSU quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was shutdown in the red zone, but helped bring some competency to a Spartan attack that desperately needed it. He finished with 188 yards and completed 21 of 32 attempts.
The biggest difference was in the turnover category as the Spartans had an impressive four takeaways after having just five for the entire season entering the game. MSU had zero.
The Spartans return home to face a 5-4 Washington team that lost to Penn State at home this weekend, while Michigan heads on the road to face an Oregon squad that’s suddenly riding high after a blowout victory over Ohio State today.
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This is the instant report and this story will be updated with more information shortly.
Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple or Spotify) or watch live/on demand on YouTube.
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pat Fitzgerald stuns Michigan as Kyle Whittingham era keeps sputtering
