8 Winners, 5 Losers as Michigan State Football Falls to Northwestern

Michigan State football entered Saturday on a mission. The Spartans entered a high storyline, high stakes game against the Northwestern Wildcats. Pat Fitzgerald faced his longtime opponent, while Aidan Chiles faced his old team on the other sidelines.

The Spartans also entered battered, down four corners and three linebackers. When the dust settled, Northwestern emerged on top, 24-21. During the contest, a few Spartans had their own breakout moments. Here are the winners and losers from the game.

Winners

LB Dion Crawford

Crawford had been a solid rotational piece during the season, earning a start with Brady Pretzlaff out against Nebraska. On Saturday, he again started, and his game made it hard to justify leaving him out of the starting lineup.

Crawford was disruptive, with 1.5 tackles for loss and multiple more stuffs at or around the line of scrimmage. It was no surprise at all to see the former Buffalo Bull as the leading tackler, being credited with 14 tackles on the day. For good measure, he also added a pass breakup. Crawford made the Spartans being out three linebackers a non-factor of a story once the game started.

DT Ben Roberts

Roberts was the other dominating force of the defense, meeting his former teammate Chiles twice for sacks and disrupting the Wildcat gameplan. It was a career day for Roberts, with 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, multiple run stuffs, and 8 total tackles.

Roberts has been the best defensive player since conference play began, and do not be surprised to see his name earning some NFL scouting attention.

WR Bryson Williams

Williams has had a rough start to 2026, with only one reception despite the fourth most snaps among receivers during the first half of the season. That frustration seemed destined to continue at first, with a ball hitting his hands early, but not being hauled in.

However, to end the first half, Alessio Milivojevic saw Williams with a one-on-one chance, and trusted his receiver to make a play. Williams hauled in the pass while falling into the end zone, outmaneuvering his coverage to get his first career touchdown.

RB Jaziun Patterson

It was another solid outing for the Iowa transfer, with the back moving the ball effectively when his number was called. Patterson finished the day with 90 total yards on his 18 touches, or five yards per touch. That is a pace that will keep the Spartans in game.

It is worth noting this outing came without starting left tackle Ben Murawski, one of the better run blockers on the Spartan offensive line.

EDGE Anelu Lafaele

Lafaele had his best outing as a Spartan against the Wildcats, dragging down Aidan Chiles twice. After a quiet first six games to begin the season, with only half a sack, it was a statement game for the Hawaiian.

Lafaele was expected to break out in 2026, and this game could be the start of that long-awaited moment. He has steadily seen an increased role during the season, and the on-field production took that jump up.

WR Chrishon McCray

McCray was another player that had a less than stellar first half to the season, as he entered the Northwestern contest looking for his first receiving touchdown of the season.

He found it during the second half. McCray set up his score by returning a punt 41 yards, and one play and a penalty later, he was streaking down the middle of the field with a step, and Milivojevic found his senior receiver for the 53-yard pass.

Due to the penalty, McCray actually finished the series with 94 scrimmage yards when his return started from 93 yards out. Fun, if a bit niche, stat.

S Devin Vaught

Another week of Vaught flying around the field. The Wildcats seemed set to run the ball, which was fine with the Maine transfer. Vaught excels as a run defender, and made an impact all day on Saturday. The safety finished with 8 tackles, 4 of which were solo.

LB DeJae White

During the season, Fitzgerald has harped on earning coach trust, particularly by a player knowing their role and executing in the kick game. White perfectly encapsulated that on Saturday, and he is likely to get a special mention on his head coach’s Monday press conference.

On a gutsy and surprising Northwestern fake punt from their own 28-yard line in the final four minutes, White was prepared. The former four-star linebacker went and batted a pass down with excellent coverage, giving the Spartans the ball in perfect position to finish off the game. As we all know, that was not the case, but White executed and made what should have been a direct contribution to a game-winning play.

Losers

QB Alessio Milivojevic

Do not get me wrong, this was a very strong game from the quarterback. However, in the context of a three point loss, Milivojevic left too much on the table. The quarterback overthrew Rod Bullard Jr. twice, once on fourth down, when the receiver had a gain of 25 yards or a touchdown in his sights.

Additionally, Milivojevic was stripped of the ball early in the game, where it was recovered by the Wildcats. Although the Spartan defense held strong, forcing a field goal, it was a free three points to Northwestern. Those three points certainly loomed large in the final five seconds.

When his actions have a legitimate argument for 17 points in total that could be swung, it is hard to justify leaving him out of this column.

OT Rakeem Johnson

On Milivojevic’s strip sack, Johnson was the player beat, leaving his quarterback out to dry before he could find an open receiver. That play, leading to a field goal, again looms large in a three point loss.

CB Jeremiah Favorite

Favorite is another player in the same category as Milivojevic. In the context of everything, it is hard for me to call them a loser. However, on Saturday, the true freshman was picked on, especially in the last minute drive down the field for the game-winner for the Wildcats.

That said, it is hard to be harsh on Favorite. The corner entered the season as the 5^th or 6^th option and has been thrust onto the field.

With three missed tackles and some coverage issues, his teaching tape puts him in the category. However, it would be heartening to continue seeing him the rest of the season.

DB Michael Richard

It was a rough outing for Richard, as the defensive back found himself picked on during the contest and whiffing on tackles.

In a narrow loss, failing to produce against the run or pass is a massive liability. Richard finished his day with three missed tackles as the Spartans jumped to back-to-back 15 missed tackle games.

C Trent Fraley

It was a rare off day for Fraley. That said, his day was solid overall, but a late penalty directly contributed to the final decision to run the ball and then kick.

The center’s illegal snap set in motion a chain of play calls that led to the Spartan blocked kick and Northwestern having their own chance for a go-ahead score, which they capitalized on.