In 1987, an unranked Michigan State team was set to go up against No. 12 Michigan in Spartan Stadium.

By the ‘87 season, the Spartans had lost the past two games in the series and had a mediocre record going into Week five at just 2-2. The Wolverines were heavily favored to win, so what happened that day in East Lansing made an impact on students at the time like Tom Vick.

“We were 2-2 going in. We didn't lose another game that year and went on to win the Rose Bowl,” Vick said. “It started horribly. Our first five games were USC, Notre Dame, Florida State, Iowa, and Michigan. Nobody plays a schedule like that anymore.”

The Wolverines quarterback Demetrius Brown got onto the field at Spartan Stadium that day to throw seven interceptions—four of those balls being picked off by defensive back John Miller.

Michigan State defeated Michigan that year 17-11 and went on to go undefeated the rest of the season — including a Rose Bowl victory over USC. The team finished the season at No. 8.

Oct. 17, 2015

This 2015 game saw a matchup between No. 7 Michigan State and No. 12 Michigan facing off at Michigan Stadium.

The Wolverines were up 23-21 with possession of the ball and just 10 seconds left on the clock. The final play of the game was dubbed “trouble with the snap,” and remains one of the most memorable moments in MSU history to this day.

Michigan was set to punt when the team’s punter Blake O’Neill lost control of the ball after it was snapped and allowed Michigan State’s defensive back Jalen Watts-Jackson to scoop up the ball and run it into the end zone for a final score of 27-23.

MSU alumnus Brian Cullen found himself watching the game from a hospital room surrounded by his four Wolverine fan siblings after his mother was rushed to the hospital that day. Cullen’s mother was in the clear, and his siblings were already beginning to celebrate a Michigan win when O’Neill lost control of the snap.

“I almost got kicked out of the hospital by security because I (was) running in and out of people's rooms, screaming my head off in my Michigan State shirt,” Cullen said. “My mom lived to see another day and is still alive. My brothers and sisters still hate me —which is the way I want it — and Michigan State came away with a win.”

Oct. 30, 2021

Last year’s matchup was an instant classic. No. 8 Michigan State hosted No. 6 Michigan in a battle between two 7-0 teams.

It was the first time since 1964 that both teams met while ranked in the top 10, and the nation looked to East Lansing. The morning of the game, campus hosted three separate live shows: Barstool College Football Show, Fox Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN College Gameday.

That Saturday felt very different from any other for the students heading onto campus. Junior urban and regional planning major Sommer Nafal said she got to campus at six in the morning to begin tailgating and immediately noticed how much was happening around her.

At halftime, the Spartans were down 23-14, but Kenneth Walker III stepped up to score three more touchdowns in the second half to bring MSU to a 37-33 victory.

“The one time when we scored the last touchdown that put us at the top, and my friends next to me…we were all jumping and screaming, and it was so exciting,” Nafal said. “Just the fact that I could witness that…that was probably one of the best times in my college experience.”

Michigan State took down Michigan and Walker went down in history as the player with the most rushing touchdowns in a game against Michigan (5). Mel Tucker also because the first head coach to beat the Wolverines twice in their first two years in the position.

“So many people sell their tickets for like $400,” Nafal said. “I would rather have that experience than sell my ticket for money.”