Want to hear something crazy? Michigan State football has a chance to beat Michigan with a first-year head coach for a second straight time (Mel Tucker did that in 2020) and third ever as Nick Saban, too, accomplished that feat. Jonathan Smith will look to join the club on Saturday night.
Want to hear something else crazy?
The Spartans will enter the game with the most explosive weapon in the passing game between both sides: Nick Marsh. The freshman phenom has had an incredible year so far and he's even missed a game along the way.
Just how much better has Marsh been than anyone on Michigan's side? Well, he has almost 100 more receiving yards than anyone on Michigan's roster (Colston Loveland has 344) but he also has 91 more combined receiving yards than all of the Wolverines' receivers combined, per Matt Sheehan.
I just read an unbelievably crazy statistic about @NickMarsh_11. He has 91 more yards on the year (and he missed a couple of games) than all of Michigan's recorded receivers combined. https://t.co/HQkFJVQNnu
— Marvin Williams (@marvinlwilliams) October 25, 2024
No, that's not a typo.
Since Loveland is a tight end, his yards don't count toward this, but Semaj Morgan leads the way for the Wolverines' receivers with 106 yards on 17 receptions. Along with him are guys like Tyler Morris, Fredrick Moore, and Kendrick Bell who are the only receivers to have over 40 yards on the season.
Combining all the receivers to record a reception this year, Michigan has 342 yards and two touchdowns on 38 receptions.
Marsh has 24 catches for 433 yards and a touchdown. That's actually insane.
Obviously Michigan has had some passing game issues and its quarterback room has been a nightmare, but the fact that a true freshman receiver who has missed a game has 91 more yards and just 14 fewer receptions than every receiver on the Wolverines' roster combined this season is just inexplicable. It's crazy. This team won a national title nine months ago.
We'll see if Nick Marsh can add to that difference on Saturday night.