After the game started fairly close, Mississippi State ultimately pulled away and routed Michigan 52–14.

[3] Mississippi State, like their opponent, returned to a bowl game for the first time since following the 2007 season.

Michigan struck first with Denard Robinson throwing a 10-yard pass to Roy Roundtree for a touchdown on the game's first drive.

Mississippi State responded with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Chris Relf to Arceto Clark and a 42-yard field goal by Derek DePasquale.

Mississippi State blew the game wide open in the second quarter with twenty-one points.

Fourteen of these came in the third quarter on two rushing touchdowns by Ballard of seven yards and one yard, while the final touchdown that made the score worse than the 1968 Ohio State-Michigan game came via a Relf 31-yard pass to Michael Carr in the fourth quarter.

Denard Robinson finished the season with 4,272 yards of total offense, a Michigan single-season record.