3 Winners, 5 Losers as Michigan State Football Falls to Washington

On Saturday, Michigan State football took on Washington. The Spartans were looking to keep up their momentum and avoid a let down after a strong 15-6 win over in-state rival Michigan. Washington, meanwhile, was struck by the FAA downing of planes, as they did not arrive into East Lansing and their hotel at 3:30 a.m. EST on gameday.

The kickoff got pushed back, giving the Spartans an extra 75 minutes to prepare. They came out with a perfect script, scoring on the opening drive for the first time since Toledo. However, the game turned into a push, with the Huskies eventually getting a fourth quarter game-winning score to win 21-14.

Here are the winners and losers against the Huskies.

Winners

TE/OW Carson Gulker

With Jayden Savoury out for a second straight contest, Gulker was incorporated more. In the first drive alone, the tight end recorded a 26-yard catch and then finished the drive with two runs, including a touchdown.

Gulker added two more catches and another carry on the contest, although his last catch was a game-ending fumble for the Spartans, putting a damper on his day.

WR Bryson Williams

Williams finally put together his best game as a Spartan against the Huskies. Williams had four catches for 63 yards on the day, including a two-yard touchdown to tie the game up before halftime.

The high school running back showed his skillset, stopping on a dime to add extra yardage and pick up a first down. With Rod Bullard Jr. out, someone needed to step up, and it was Williams on Saturday.

WR Fredrick Moore

Moore was another player at his best on Saturday, with multiple big catches, including converting a 3^rd-and-15 to set up a game-tying score. Moore finished with 66 receiving yards to lead the team.

However, Moore was targeted a dozen times on the day, and had two drops. One was a ball that was slightly off target and allowed a defender to catch up when Moore could have taken the top off the Husky defense. The other was a simple concentration drop.

Losers

EDGE Kenny Soares Jr.

One week after the biggest play of his Spartan career, Soares plummeted back to earth in the first quarter against Washington. The EDGE rusher had an unacceptable roughing the passer call on third down against Demond Williams Jr., extending the drive.

Instead of a punt, the Huskies got the ball and turned it into a game-tying drive and shifted the momentum of the game. Soares did redeem himself with a sack to end the third quarter, however.

IOL Nick Sharpe

It was a rough day on discipline all around for the Spartans. Sharpe has been a bright spot for the Spartan offensive line, but Saturday was not the best day for the South Carolina transfer.

The guard was called for two penalties on the same drive, hurting the Spartans in their attempts to drive down and beat Washington while down Alessio Milivojevic.

QB Cam Fancher

It was a rough night for Fancher, who got dragged off the bench when Milivojevic went down injured. The sixth-year quarterback had a few solid drives and throws, but was sacked and also had an inexplicable interception. Instead of falling to the ground when wrapped up, the quarterback tried to flick it out of bounds without any torque for velocity, giving a looping pass that was intercepted.

It was a play a freshman should not make, and a sixth-year senior cannot make. Worse yet, Fancher was injured on the play, hurting his efforts after getting cleared the rest of the game.

CB NiJhay Burt

One week after soaring to be Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Burt came crashing down on Saturday. He was caught out of position multiple times during the contest, including being late on deep coverage in the 58-yard touchdown to open the Husky scoring.

Burt and the safeties struggled in communication, and it was a theme that ultimately dismantled the Spartans.

CB Jeremiah Favorite

It is hard placing Favorite here considering the impossible situation the freshman is in during his first collegiate season. However, Favorite was responsible in coverage for a touchdown and then got “Moss’d” to set up the game-winning score.

At one point, Favorite was substituted out for Charles Brantley, although Favorite finished out the game at the corner spot.