Michigan State is back in Spartan Stadium this Saturday with a chance to keep building after its win at Michigan, and Washington comes in as a tricky test. The Huskies arrive at 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten, fresh off a 28-25 home loss to Penn State. Kickoff is set for 4:15 PM ET on BTN.
Washington’s season has been a mix of close calls and missed chances. The Huskies opened 3-0 by beating Washington State, Utah State and Eastern Washington, but the conference slate has been a different story.
Their two Big Ten wins both came away from home, at Purdue on October 16 and at Nebraska on October 31. The losses have come against Penn State, USC, Minnesota and Iowa, and most of those games were tight.
The biggest conference win was 38-26 over Purdue, while the largest defeat was a 41-24 loss to Iowa.
At quarterback, Demond Williams Jr. has had an uneven year. The 5-11, 190-pound junior first flashed as a true freshman, when he completed 78% of his passes for 844 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.
Last season, as Washington’s full-time starter, he completed nearly 70% of his throws for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns. That production reportedly helped him land a big NIL deal to stay in Seattle, but the offseason still got messy.
Williams announced on January 6 that he intended to enter the transfer portal, Washington refused to enter his name because of his NIL contract, and two days later Williams said he would remain at UW.
This year, the numbers have dipped. Williams is completing 64.5% of his passes and averaging 7.6 yards per attempt, down from 8.7 last season.
In Big Ten play, he threw for 239 yards in the loss to Minnesota but didn’t reach 200 yards against USC or Penn State. Washington is 0-4 in conference games started by Williams this season.
The Huskies have also had to deal with a quarterback change. Williams was knocked out of the Iowa game on October 9 with an injury, and junior Elijah Brown stepped in.
The Stanford transfer threw for 251 yards against Iowa, then followed with 302 more in the win at Purdue. Brown also ran the offense in the Nebraska win before Washington returned to Williams against Penn State.
Michigan State has to be ready for both.
The run game has not given either quarterback much relief. Washington ranks second-to-last in the Big Ten with 99.3 rushing yards per game and averages 3.6 yards per carry.
The Huskies have produced just one 100-yard rusher all season, in the win at Purdue. Freshman Brian Bonner Jr. leads the team with 318 rushing yards on 4.4 yards per carry and one touchdown, while Williams has added 254 yards on 3.5 per carry and two scores.
Because the ground game has struggled, Washington has leaned on the pass. The Huskies have thrown on 56% of their offensive snaps, and both Williams and Brown have several targets to work with. Five wide receivers and two tight ends have at least nine catches, though the Huskies do not appear to use their running backs much in the passing game.
Defensively, Washington has been respectable without being dominant. The Huskies are 10th in the Big Ten in scoring defense at 21.9 points allowed per game, but they are 13th in total defense at 350.4 yards allowed per game, including 136 rushing and 214.4 passing. Michigan State’s defense, by comparison, now sits 10th in the league after its strong showing against Michigan, allowing 337 yards per game.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters is running the same basic scheme he used at Illinois and as Purdue’s head coach. The Huskies line up in a 4-2-5 base and often adjust by bringing a fifth player to the line of scrimmage.
That could mean extra bodies near the box on Saturday in an effort to force Alessio Milivojevic to throw. But Michigan State has shown it is willing to stay committed to the run.
The Spartans run the ball on 56% of their offensive plays, and they had some success on the ground against Michigan’s defense.
Middle linebacker Jacob Manu is the anchor for Washington’s defense. The 5-10, 225-pound senior has 49 tackles and three sacks.
The biggest question for Michigan State may be how it responds emotionally after the Michigan win. Through six straight losses and a wave of injuries, the Spartans kept going, and that persistence finally paid off.
Now the challenge is to reset quickly and handle the next task with the same focus. After the staff of Nick Sheridan and Joe Rossi put together the plan that worked against Michigan, the next test is whether they can come up with something just as sharp for Washington.
There is also the usual Spartan Stadium factor. Pat Fitzgerald has praised the MSU crowd throughout the season, and after the Michigan game he said in his postgame press conference that he wants more strong support from the home fans over the final two games.
The forecast for Saturday calls for cool conditions in the mid-30s, but dry weather. How much energy the Michigan win brings back to East Lansing could matter just as much as anything on the field.
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Carson Cooper Is Already Fighting For His NBA Role
Carson Coopers pro path has taken another turn, and this one gives him a clearer place to prove he belongs. The former Michigan State center has signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being with the Memphis Grizzlies, setting him up to split time between the NBA roster and the teams G-League affiliate.
For a player trying to carve out a long-term role, the opportunity is as important as the jersey change. Cooper enters a crowded frontcourt as a backup center behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney, and he takes the spot vacated when Lawson Lovering was waived to make room for him. [Read more 🡒]