WATCH: Derrick Moore, Kenneth Grant talk Michigan State rivalry, more
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football junior EDGE Derrick Moore and junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant met with the media Tuesday evening after practice ahead of their team’s game against Michigan State Saturday at The Big House. Watch video of each below.
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EDGE Derrick Moore
Michigan will battle Michigan State for the Paul Bunyan Trophy Saturday. The Wolverines have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 78-7.
“I feel like it’s a lot of high intensity going into this game,” Moore said. “We know that it’s a big in-state rivalry game, so this game means a lot to a lot of guys in state. And also, it’s a trophy game, so right now our main focus is beating them and making sure that we keep Paul here.”
Moore missed Michigan’s game at Washington but returned at Illinois following the bye week. He discussed how he played and how it felt to get back on the field.
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“I felt like it was good to be back out there with my teammates,” Moore explained. “Of course, we didn’t get the win and things like that kinda sucked. But it felt good to get back out there, and I felt like I played good, but I feel like I could’ve played better and things like that to help our team in critical moments, at the times we needed it most.”
DT Kenneth Grant
Grant discussed his own thoughts on Michigan’s game against Michigan State coming up.
“Energy has been pretty good,” Grant said of how the Wolverines are preparing. “The message is no different. We’re playing for a trophy, so we’re trying to keep that trophy and that history here. Just go out there and be violent, and it’s an in-state rivalry, so we gotta come and take their souls.”
Michigan and Michigan State will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The Wolverines and Spartans are both 4-3 entering Saturday night’s tilt, with both teams creeping toward bowl eligibility. The Spartans haven’t made a bowl game since 2021, while the Wolverines have made the College Football Playoff in each of the last three seasons.
