Michigan and Michigan State will meet this week for the first time since last year’s tunnel incident, which saw the two sides brawl at Michigan Stadium. After the game, several Michigan State players were caught on camera attacking a Michigan player as the two teams were headed to their respective locker rooms, forcing police to get involved.
Although most players are returning from last year, Michigan is solely focused on winning the game. Running back Blake Corum said they are approaching the game like a normal rivalry while trying not to think about last year.
“Saturday we’ll go in there and just handle business like always, like we have the past couple games,” he said, via Alejandro Zuniga of 247 Sports. “We’re not going to hold a grudge on what happened last year.”
Seven Michigan State players ultimately faced charges for their roles in the incident, and eight were immediately suspended by Michigan State. Before this season, six of those players were reinstated to the program, according to MLive.
Corum had a huge game vs. the Spartans last season, rushing for 177 yards and a touchdown during the 29-7 win, and this year, Michigan is focused on keeping their undefeated season alive. Therefore, the running back explained that they don’t want to make this game more chaotic.
“We’re not going there being, ‘Oh, we’re going rough them up’ or anything like that, or we’re going to fight or anything like that,” Corum said. “That’s part of the past. We’ll go in there and handle business and come out victorious.”