In its loss to Penn State on Saturday, Washington scored 25 points. In Michigan State’s victory over Michigan on Saturday, there were not even 25 points combined. Michigan State won on five field goals and only allowed six Michigan points. Washington will have its hands full on Saturday and will have to win ugly on the road once again.
Michigan State offensive struggles
It’s been a struggle offensively for the Spartans in 2026. The offense averages just 19.3 points per-game, the 10th worst mark in college football. Both the passing and running attacks don’t offer much explosion: 3.1 yards per-carry on the ground and just six air-yards per-attempt in the passing game.
In conference play, the numbers look worse. MSU averages just 16.5 points per-game and has won just one conference game this season. Despite the gloomy offensive numbers, making the game ugly is at Michigan State’s advantage.
MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald is currently in his 18th season as a Big Ten coach, spending the first 17 with Northwestern. A lot of Fitzgerald’s success boils down to playing harder than the other team. Even without top-tier talent at Northwestern, Fitzgerald led the Wildcats to 10 Bowl Games and six seasons ending with a top 25 ranking in the AP Poll.
“I saw them go to the Big House and win a ball game. That is something that is extremely hard to do,” UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. “I’ve played against Michigan at their place as a coach now maybe three times, and it’s a hard place to go win, and so, you win a rivalry game in that arena, that tells you a little bit about [Michigan State’s] mental makeup.”
At game time on Saturday, East Lansing will be a cool 44 degrees, perfect Big Ten football conditions. Coupled with a home crowd, the local environment heavily favors the Spartans, a factor no stat can really account for.
“It’s going to be a Big Ten-type [of game]. It’s November in Michigan. It’s going to be cold, it going to be windy, we might see some rain we might get a little snow,” Walters said. “It’s going to be a game that is fought up-front, where you have to own and reestablish the line of scrimmage.”
Start out fast on offense
Washington scored just six points in the first half against Penn State, but turned it around scoring 19 in the second half. Washington cannot afford another slow start, especially on the road in an environment suited for an ugly offensive game.
The MSU defense does not scream elite unit on paper, but the defensive-minded Fitzgerald will have his unit ready to roll no matter what on Saturday. Before Saturday against Michigan, Michigan State had allowed 20-plus points in its previous six games.
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch has mentioned throughout the year that every Big Ten game is a race to 20 points, and for Washington, a major part of winning the races comes from building a lead, and not trying to cut one down the stretch.
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