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The third installment of this series examining the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to 2006. In a series that’s known for controversy, the only controversial play in the 2006 game served as little more than a footnote to the theme of the game.

The play in question was a touchdown pass from Michigan quarterback Chad Henne to Adrian Arrington. In all honesty, it appeared that Arrington landed out of bounds before he hit the end zone, but anyone who watched the game would have been hard pressed to argue that play might have altered the game’s outcome.

The game pitted the modern spread-option offense of Michigan State coach John L. Smith vs. the pro-style offense favored by Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines approached the game with a workman-line seriousness of purpose. They controlled the game by running Mike Hart behind a dominant offensive line that buckled their chin straps on every play and opened gaping holes with ease. The result was a game that played directly to Michigan’s strengths, as the Wolverines used a suffocating defense that limited Michigan State’s offensive threats. The Spartans were repeatedly forced to punt after three plays, while the Michigan offensive line made running easy for Hart. The beauty of the Wolverines’ approach was that it placed the Michigan State defense between a rock and a hard place. The Spartans could commit to stopping the run, which would leave receivers like Arrington, Mario Manningham and Steve Breaston running free in the secondary, or play a more cautious defense, which would provide minimal support to stopping Mike Hart. Virtually everything Michigan tried worked. Early in the second quarter, Manningham beat double coverage and Henne connected with him in the end zone to extend Michigan’s lead to 14-0. By halftime, the Wolverines led 17-0, and it was all over but the shouting.

Michigan State fought back in the second half, with rushing touchdowns from running back Jehuu Caulcrick and quarterback Drew Stanton, but it was strictly a formality by that time. The Wolverines established their superiority early, and cruised to a 31-13 victory in the type of game that would put a smile on Bo Schembechler’s face.