Like many before, the 117th battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy ended with a frantic sea of maize, blue, green and white. Players from both teams spilled out onto the field after a physical altercation took place between MSU player redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Anthony Jones and Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

On the final play, a kneel-down, Loveland head-butted Jones. In retaliation, Jones grabbed Loveland by the head and the sidelines cleared. 

The view on video replay was obstructed by numerous Wolverine players and what transpired in the crowd remains unknown. The Big Ten Conference reviewed the video and decided not to take action as it did after the 2022 tunnel melee in Ann Arbor, labeling the video evidence "inconclusive" in a statement Tuesday. 

As it appears on video, an MSU player and staff member were caught near the bottom of the brawl, head coach Jonathan Smith confirmed at a press conference Monday. Also in attendance was athletic director Alan Haller, who said he called Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti right after the game. 

"I thought the sportsmanship policy should be applied," Haller said.

Emotions for the rivalry continue to run high and while Smith has been a part of in-state rivalries before, he said Saturday night personalized it for him.

“Truly experiencing it for the first time, that thing is different, that thing is important,” Smith said. “That’s why it’s so frustrating to feel like we could have done a few things better.”

MSU continued to show improvement in the run game against Michigan after a charged effort the week prior. But, in a four-quarter game, the Spartans weren't consistent enough to win. Smith said he won’t forget the loss, but he's looking forward to the next opponent: the Indiana Hoosiers, who are 8-0 so far this season.

Early in the season, MSU struggled to score touchdowns after reaching the red zone. But in their two games since the bye-week, the Spartans have been more efficient when threatening. They went 5-for-5 in the red zone on Oct. 19 against Iowa, but against Michigan, that rate fell back to 2-for-4.   

The Spartan offense will need to seize the opportunities it presented with to be on par with Indiana's strong run defense. 

MSU’s defense has been a bright spot, but mental mistakes still persist. Against Michigan, redshirt senior linebacker Jordan Turner was ejected for targeting in the second half, forcing him out for the first half against Indiana. Turner leads the defense with 48 tackles.

MSU’s ability to stop the run was tested against Iowa and Michigan, but Indiana will offer a different look. The Hoosiers spread the ball all over the field and are efficient on third down. 

“I don’t think they’ve trailed in a game yet, so we’re preparing,” sophomore defensive lineman Alex Vansumeren said.

MSU battles Indiana this Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3:30 at Spartan Stadium. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.