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Posted on Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 12:50 p.m.

Rich Rodriguez: Saturday's game isn't about reclaiming the state, other Big Ten teleconference notes

By Dave Birkett

Michigan linebacker Obi Ezeh heard suggestions this off-season that Michigan State was the new No. 1 football program in the state.

"I don't even know why anybody would think that," Ezeh said. “Obviously, if that’s what they think. They had a good season last year, so if they got some confidence about them that’s fine.”

Still, Ezeh said Saturday's game is a chance to silence that notion.

"You don't want to add fuel to the fire," he said. "You just want to give them that win last year, you don't want to give them two in a row."

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday he doesn’t plan to address the Wolverines' standing in the state with his team, other than to suggest a state championship is on the line.

"I think there’s a natural inclination to talk about reclaiming the state, but I think that goes over time,” Rodriguez said on the Big Ten coaches teleconference. “I don’t think one year or two years or even three years do you stake a claim to that.

“We’re happy the progress we’re making. We think we’re on track to get the program where we want it to. I don’t think we’re close to where we’re going to be, but I think we’re on the right path.”

Other notes from Tuesday’s teleconference:

• Rodriguez said he hadn’t seen quarterback Tate Forcier as of noon Tuesday, but that Forcier remains on track to play against Michigan State.

“The trainer thinks he progressed well yesterday,” Rodriguez said. “How much he’ll be able to do in practice today I’ll know here in a couple of hours.”

• Rodriguez on how the Michigan-MSU rivalry compares to the West Virginia-Pitt rivalry he was part of as a player and coach: “I think it has the same intensity. … It’s two schools that are close to each other that run into each other quite a bit in recruiting circles sometimes, the fact that we’re in the same league. So I think that is very, very similar in that regard. And the intensity every year, irregardless of what one team or the other team is doing record-wise, is always going to be an all-time high.”

• Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was complimentary of a Michigan offense that leads the Big Ten in points, touchdowns and rushing yards.

“They’re outstanding conceptually, what they do and how they do it,” Dantonio said. “Coach Rodriguez has had great success doing that. It’s very well thought out schematically, very well drawn out as well, and the quarterback is executing. Forcier’s executing very well.”

• If Indiana coach Bill Lynch is still upset about the controversial interception that ended last week’s loss to Michigan, when Donovan Warren outwrestled Demarlo Belcher for the ball, he didn’t show it Tuesday.

"I've been in football long enough that there’s a lot of calls like that,” Lynch said. "It's over, you move on and from the time you really - we bussed to Michigan, by the time we bussed back, our thoughts were on (this week's game against) Ohio State and what we have to do to get better and get prepared. That's part of the game and we’ve all been through those kind of situations."

• Rodriguez on his biggest concern going on the road for the first time this year: "Just keeping our poise and be able to overcome adversity because we know it's going to happen. We're going to have adversity early and late and throughout, so we just got to be able to keep our poise and try to block out the noise and just concentrate on execution."

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Comments

goblue112

Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 10:57 p.m.

this mean the world to me cus.i cant stand hear everybody i work with all family and friends.that are state fans talk anymore.im tried of it ready to shut them up for another ten years nothing more annoying then to hear how they beat us for first time in ten years ready to smack sparty back to earth with good old fashion a** wooping go blue.....

azwolverine

Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 9:30 p.m.

State will be ready. It's okay to make fun of them 51 weeks of the year, but this is not that week. It's game time and you can throw records out the window. The only common opponent between the two teams was almost a mirror image game. It will be a great game that will take everything Michigan has to pull it out.

michboy40

Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 5:29 p.m.

Congats to Bill Lynch for being a class act and not whining about the interseption/catch. To take the high road there says a lot about the kind of coach and person he is. I know other coaches that may not be so professional and classy.

rensational

Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 5:04 p.m.

You know what MSU's problem is, though, in general, which we as Michigan fans should never discount: above everything else, MSU is 1-3 and headed towards a rather average season because they don't care about any game but the Michigan one. Trust me, whatever screwups they had against Central Michigan and Notre Dame, they will look Big Ten champions-caliber against Michigan...and then they will go right back to looking a little bit better than Illinois. That's just how they usually are.

sikness

Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 3:10 p.m.

This game will be about who can stop who more often. I gotta believe UM will be able to stop MSU more than they will us. Both defenses have played atrociously thus far, but Michigan's offense is far beyond MSU's offense. Plus, if this game is tied or within 3 points with 5 minutes left in the game, chalk up a W for Big Blue. We've proved twice already that we can make the plays to win in crunch time, State has proved twice already they can't.

Goblue

Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 2:22 p.m.

Points, td's, rushing yards!!!! Phsss..yeah state's d will be able to stop Michigan. HAHAHAHAHA GOBLUE!