Michigan football can't chase ghosts vs. Michigan State on Saturday

If Michigan football has what it takes to be a championship contender, then ghosts and curses and trick plays won't matter Saturday in Spartan Stadium. 

Because if U-M has what it takes, it'll survive its own personal house of horrors – the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy – and show it's a team capable of topping a rival on the road. 

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio has owned this rivalry for 10 years. He has won big, he has won ugly, he has won on a miracle. He has gotten inside Michigan's collective head and been the program's biggest pain in the last decade. 

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Jim Harbaugh can't erase that Saturday. He can't take back losses or repair what already has happened. On Saturday, Michigan has more important things to do. 

The Wolverines are 60 minutes away from entering a bye week at 5-0 in the Big Ten with every goal imaginable — the College Football Playoff, Indianapolis for the conference title, everything — there for the taking. 

"This is our time to silence everybody, to silence the critics," Michigan linebacker Josh Ross said. "Our confidence is at its highest right now. We're ready to go."  

U-M fans routinely point toward Ohio State as the program's chief rival. Fine. Things aren't going well with that either, by the way, but that's not important right now.

What's important is what's in front of you. And the reality of this situation is simple. 

Michigan is not going to get where it wants to go as a program if losses to MSU continue. In a literal sense, it's a Big Ten loss. Any hope of getting to the league title game is complicated when you lose this game in the middle of the year. What you do against Ohio State later matters in a self-contained sense, but U-M will need help elsewhere if it keeps losing this game. 

But in a larger sense, losses like this burn. Michigan's season went up in flames last year when MSU walked out of Ann Arbor with a 14-10 win, but maybe that would have happened anyway.

Scouting reports:

Nick Baumgarnder from U-M perspective

Chris Solari from MSU perspective

This game serves as an emotional springboard.

Michigan State's not a little brother football team, and U-M will see the confidence it has built over the past six weeks soar if it wins Saturday.  

Michigan looks like the better football team. That has been the case a lot in the last 10 years. On Saturday, it's time for U-M to prove that on the field. 

And tell the ghosts to stay home. 

What I'll be watching: 

Felton Davis vs. Michigan DBs

Davis is MSU's best offensive weapon and, perhaps, the most talented player on the football team. He's 6-foot-4 and athletic, can play the ball in the air, make difficult catches and bail the offense out. 

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Michigan cornerbacks Lavert Hill and David Long have put together strong seasons again, but they haven't been without their hiccups. Pass interference penalties. Issues early at Notre Dame. U-M can take away everything MSU does offensively and still give up yards if it's not disciplined against Davis in 1-on-1 matchups. 

You can't allow bailouts to an offense that's No. 11 in the Big Ten on third down. 

The next step

Michigan's offensive line put together its best 60 minutes of football last week against Wisconsin, but things will be tougher Saturday.  If U-M can run the ball against MSU's front seven, it'll probably be able to run the ball on anyone. Michigan has made strides with its zone-blocking game in recent weeks, but MSU defends all schemes well.

Michigan's interior has to be able to keep Raequan Williams from collapsing the pocket up the middle. He's tough to move 1-on-1 in the run game and you can scheme away from him. But he can also destroy everything. Same goes for Kenny Willekes. 

Whether he's lined up opposite Jon Runyan Jr. or Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Saturday will be the OL's biggest test. 

Patterson's calm

Shea Patterson had problems in the pocket early on the road at Northwestern a few weeks ago, something he eventually fixed. Last week against Wisconsin, he once again was far too bouncy. He was leaving the pocket early and, at times, he ran himself into trouble. 

MSU will take disciplined rush lanes toward the quarterback with hopes that he'll bail out early and run right into a linebacker or a defensive tackle at the line of scrimmage. The Spartans do a great job of taking away the edge, so unless you move the pocket for Patterson, running horizontally won't be ideal. 

He has to be a pocket quarterback in this game. He has to make reads. He has to manage situations. Otherwise, he's playing into MSU's hands. 

The game plan

Michigan had its best offensive game plan of the season last week and has now put a ton of material on tape for MSU's defense to worry about. And unlike last season, the Wolverines appear to have an offense capable and confident enough to execute a variety of looks. 

Harbaugh has done a nice of job staying patient while adding some creativity along the way. This game can't be too stale, but it can't be too crazy either. Case in point: U-M stalled its own drive last week when it forced in a special package with Joe Milton in the first quarter. 

Dantonio always seems to push the right buttons in games like this. It's time for Harbaugh to show he can do the same. 

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Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickBaumgardner.