Michigan vs. Michigan State RECAP, SCORE & STATS (10/20/18) | College Fooball Week 8

The No. 6 ranked Michigan Wolverines (6-1), led by quarterback Shea Patterson, met the No. 24 ranked Michigan State Spartans (4-2), led by quarterback Brian Lewerke, in an NCAA Week 8 college football game on Saturday, October 20, 2018 (10/20/18) at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

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Here's the AP recap:

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes and No. 6 Michigan earned a desperately needed 21-7 win over No. 24 Michigan State on Saturday.

The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) had lost eight of 10 against their in-state rivals and those setbacks have led to them not winning a Big Ten title since 2004.

The Spartans (4-3, 2-2) struggled to move the ball, getting held to 94 yards and failing to convert any of its 12 third downs.

Patterson's 79-yard pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones put Michigan ahead late in the third quarter. He converted a fourth-and-2 from the Michigan State 41 early in the fourth, setting up Ben Mason's 5-yard run that gave the Wolverines a 21-7 lead.

The Ole Miss transfer was 14 of 25 for 212 yards and made a successful debut in a series that has been tilted Michigan State's way in part because of poor quarterback play. His 6-yard pass to Nico Collins broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter and was Michigan's first touchdown throw against the Spartans since 2011.

Michigan State needed a fumble deep in Michigan territory and a trick play to score once.

Chris Evans lost the football at the Wolverines 7 early in the third. Two plays later, quarterback Brian Lewerke caught a 4-yard pass from receiver Darrell Stewart off a reverse to pull the Spartans into a tie.

Michigan's Karan Higdon had 144 yards rushing on 33 carries against the nation's top-ranked rushing defense, which entered the game giving up an average of 62 yards on the ground.

LJ Scott returned from a leg injury to play for the Spartans after a four-game absence and ran for just 25 yards on 10 carries.

Lewerke was 5 of 25 for just 66 yards with an injury-depleted corps of receivers, which now includes Felton Davis after he was carted off during the game with an apparent Achilles tendon injury.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan: Jim Harbaugh victory after entering the game 1-5 against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. If the Wolverines beat No. 18 Penn State in two weeks, they will be set up for a showdown Nov. 24 at Ohio State.

Michigan State: Lewerke's inconsistent play is slowing down an offense already hurt by injuries. He may have to hold off Rocky Lombardi, who played late in the game, to keep his job.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Wolverines can't move up too much, but they will have chances to do that against the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes next month. The Spartans will likely drop out of the poll.

UP NEXT

Michigan: Off until hosting Penn State on Nov. 3.

Michigan State: Plays Purdue at home.

Here's what you need to know:

Who: Michigan vs. Michigan State

What: NCAA football, Week 8

When: Saturday, October 20, 2018

Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Mich.

Time: 12 p.m. Eastern

TV: Fox

Livestream: fuboTV, Fox Sports Go

Line: Michigan -7

Series record: Michigan leads 69-36-5.

Week 8 picks and predictions

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

For the third time in four seasons, Jim Harbaugh has Michigan looking like a serious Big Ten title contender, but he's only 1-5 against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State, so the pressure is on for the Wolverines. The Spartans have won eight of the last 10 meetings in this series and still have conference championship hopes of their own if they can win this game. This is always an emotionally charged matchup, but it's hard to escape the feeling that Harbaugh and Michigan need it more this time around.

KEY MATCHUP

Michigan QB Shea Patterson vs. Michigan State's secondary. Patterson arrived as a transfer amid plenty of hype, and this is an opportunity for him to deliver. Michigan State's defense is ranked 117th against the pass and No. 1 against the run. If Patterson can't exploit this matchup, the Wolverines could be in for a struggle.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Michigan: DL Chase Winovich has three sacks and 101/2 tackles for loss. He's emerged as a leader of a Michigan defense that's been stellar even though star DE Rashan Gary has been out with a shoulder injury. The Wolverines have the nation's top-ranked pass defense.

Michigan State: QB Brian Lewerke already has as many interceptions (seven) as he did all of last season, but he's an experienced passer who led the Spartans to 10 wins a year ago and is coming off a last-minute touchdown throw that beat Penn State last weekend.

FACTS & FIGURES

The team with more yards rushing has won 43 of the past 48 games in this series. The Spartans outrushed Michigan 158-102 in their victory last year. ... The Spartans and Wolverines have met 17 times when both teams were in the Top 25. Michigan State is 10-6-1 in those games. ... Michigan State has nine wins over top-10 opponents since 2013. Only Alabama and Ohio State have more. ... Michigan is 0-17 against ranked teams on the road since 2006.

(The AP contributed to this report.)

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