Michigan Revels In Winning 'Marked' Game In Hostile Environment
By Will Burchfield
In the week leading up to Saturday's clash between Michigan and Michigan State, the undefeated Wolverines insisted it was just another game. And some of them, like cool-minded quarterback Wilton Speight, may have actually meant it.
"The media thought that we were just saying that just to avoid the questions," Speight said after Michigan's 32-23 win, the Wolverines' first victory over the Spartans in four years. "But no one really saw it as, 'Oh my gosh, this is the biggest rivalry ever, we need to get off this losing streak.' We just needed to get the next win."
For all of Speight's fine leadership qualities, he may have had a few dissenters in this case – Jabrill Peppers, for one. The redshirt sophomore was so giddy in his post-game interview he could hardly stop smiling.
"It was an exhilarating feeling, man, just to finally get this chip off our shoulder. This is one we had marked since last year," he said.
Saturday was a revenge game for Michigan, whether or not the players acknowledged it beforehand. It was a chance for them to expel some of the torment stemming from the botched snap, the freakish turnover and the last-second touchdown that led to Michigan State's shocking win last year at the Big House.
"Every game is a big game, just some are bigger than others," Peppers said. "I don't have to explain to you guys the magnitude of this game. We haven't won here since '07 so we just wanted to come out here and win, man. That's it."
In doing so, No. 2 Michigan reclaimed the Paul Bunyan Trophy. And the noise emanating from the visitors' locker room at Spartan Stadium in the wake of the final whistle on Saturday suggested the Wolverines were quite pleased, indeed.
"After the game I was trying to scream (and) I was losing my vision for a second. I had to stop screaming," said senior tight end Jake Butt. "We were excited, though. We're all fired up about it."
"It was a great moment," said senior wide receiver Amara Darboh, who was sensational from start to finish, tallying eight catches for 165 yards. "It's a great rivalry and anytime we can get Paul back to Ann Arbor it's a great feeling for us."
Michigan, without a doubt, was supposed to win on Saturday. They were favored by over three touchdowns and were taking on a Michigan State squad mired in a five-game losing streak. Had the Wolverines departed East Lansing without the Bunyan Trophy in tow, it would have signaled one of the most shocking upsets in the history of this rivalry.
As Speight said, "We came in here expecting to get it back. It wasn't like it was a surprise."
Still, nothing is ever guaranteed in a rivalry game, certainly not when the underdog is playing at home. The Spartans had plenty to play for on Saturday, even if their 2-5 record suggested the year had already been lost.
"We knew this was going to be a big game for them, to try to ruin our season. They felt like if they beat us, even though they lost a lot of games, their season still would be a success and we just wanted to take that from them," Peppers said. "When you come into another man's house and you beat them and you leave with a trophy, that definitely makes you feel good as a man."
Peppers' delight seemed to be heightened by the taunting and catcalling he faced throughout the game. Whenever the hometown fans mentioned his name, derisively so, the electric No. 5 welcomed the opportunity to defend it.
"I just love the hostile environment because they say things to me in the crowd and I just feed off that," Peppers said. "Sometimes I listen to see what they're saying. It's more funny stuff, some not-so-funny stuff, but I try to silence that all by the way that I play."
Asked if he could remember the funniest – or strangest – thing he had heard all day, Peppers thought about it for a couple of seconds and then laughed.
"There's nothing I can really repeat," he said.
The Spartans, similarly, couldn't repeat 2015. That was of particular satisfaction to De'Veon Smith, one of the few Michigan players who admitted last week that he was still haunted by last year's devastating finish.
"Those last couple seconds, they're still boiling. We still taste it in our mouth," he said.
The senior running back washed it away with two touchdowns on Saturday, beating the Spartans for the first time in his career. Afterward, he found himself in a state of disbelief.
"I don't know, it really doesn't feel real right now. If anything it just feels like it didn't happen, it feels like we got a game to play," Smith said. "But for right now, I know I'm going to enjoy it and it will probably hit me tomorrow."
Asked why it was so difficult to grasp the moment – to fully believe it – Smith pointed to the Bunyan Trophy.
"Because I've never had Paul in my possession before, probably," he said.
Butt could relate.
"It really hasn't sunk in too much," he said.
It had sunk in firmly for Peppers, who said all he wanted after the game was "a picture with Paul." He got one, on a day the Wolverines finally got theirs.
As Peppers exclaimed, "Oh man, it's been a long time coming!"
