Sherrone Moore on 'big game' against Michigan State: 'It's the state championship, and our guys are very excited'

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football has lost its last two games and sits at 4-3 entering Saturday’s game against in-state foe Michigan State. The Wolverines may not have much of a chance to make the College Football Playoff or win the Big Ten championship even by winning out, but the team remains motivated, head coach Sherrone Moore said Monday.

Specifically, Moore pointed to two junior defensive tackles who are projected first-round NFL Draft picks who were still giving maximum effort late in last week’s 21-7 loss at Illinois, Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham.

“You look at the end of the game and what the score was, and you saw Mason Graham, you saw Kenneth Grant and those guys playing their hearts out at the end of the game,” Moore said after being asked about the challenge of keeping players engaged given the team’s record.

“I think the culture [supercedes] the losses right now. Those guys see what they’ve done, how they’ve worked to get to this point. And there’s a lot of pride in who they are as people, for them, for their village, for this team, for Michigan.

“So guys aren’t going to stop playing because we’re not at the win total we had. We’re gonna continue to fight, regardless of what it is.”

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With some preseason goals out the window, Michigan has plenty reason to be motivated this week, with the Spartans coming to town. Michigan has won the last two meetings and leads the all-time series, 73-38-5.

“It’s the next game, but it’s a big game,” Moore said. “It’s the state championship, and our guys are very excited. Obviously, [they’re] down about what happened, but excited to go compete against this team. They take a lot of pride in Paul Bunyan, keeping that trophy here. So our guys are excited about the game, and so are the coaches.

“I think it’s huge. It’s a huge game. You’re playing Michigan State. It’s the rivalry, it’s an in-state rivalry, and everything’s on the line. We gotta keep Paul Bunyan here, and there’s a lot of pride in that trophy, there’s a lot of pride in that rivalry and we’re going to do everything we can to win.”

Moore spent much of his Monday press conference lamenting Michigan’s struggles with ball security. The Wolverines have turned the ball over 15 times in seven games, including 3 in last week’s loss. Michigan State has committed 15 turnovers, as well, so the two offenses are similar in that way.

“As far as not taking care of the football, you’d say so,” Moore said of if they have similar traits. “But I just want us to be good. I want us to take care of the football ourselves, and I’m not going to worry about what they’re doing.

“We’re going go try to take the football away from them, for sure. But for us, we gotta do everything we can to keep it.”

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles is a sophomore transfer from Oregon State, where he played under first-year MSU head coach Jonathan Smith last season. He’s completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 1,468 yards with 6 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, adding 166 rushing yards and 3 scores.

While his numbers aren’t gaudy, Chiles’ athleticism stands out. He’s completed 17 passes outside of the pocket, 52nd in the nation per Sports Info Solutions, and racked up 126 rushing yards via scrambles, according to PFF.

“You gotta do a great job with the rush lanes, and that’s something we’re going to stress and talk about,” Michigan’s coach said. “You gotta do that with that guy, because once he gets outside the pocket, he can be dynamic, he can do some things to hurt you. So you gotta keep him in the pocket, you gotta be really disciplined with the lanes, whether it’s a four-man rush or a five-man rush, where you’re at in the pocket. Keeping him compressed, because if he gets out, he can make things happen with his feet and his arm.

“We gotta do things there, and then mix up different looks for him so it’s not easy so he can just look at his read and throw to his read. We gotta do a good job of keeping him in the pocket.”