In the weeks and months following Michigan State’s comeback win over Michigan in 2021, the game (or rather, Michigan’s loss) has been consistently justified and rationalized by the national college football media as an amalgamation of dumb luck and referee assistance. However, this reductionist narrative obscures the critically important point that Michigan State’s win over Michigan had as much to do with the tangibles of scheme and game-planning as it did the more nebulous elements of grit and individual effort. As MSU looks to the coming post-Kenneth Walker III era, much can be learned about how the Spartans will adjust by looking to the past.
Film Room: Michigan vs. Michigan State — Anatomy of a Comeback
