Michigan State Football: 5 players who need to step up vs. Washington State
By Stephen Robb
Michigan State takes on Washington State in the Holiday Bowl Thursday night. In order for the Spartans to win, they need these five players to step up.
Washington State coach Mike Leach missed out on the recent coaching carousel. He almost landed in Tennessee and now there are strong rumors that his defensive coordinator will be heading to Ohio State to be an assistant on the Buckeyes’ staff. Also, Leach cut his top receiver on this Cougars team. This is an excellent opportunity for Michigan State to finish the season well and zoom into the offseason.
In contrast to the turmoil happening in Pullman, Wash., Michigan State has been steadily building momentum. The Spartans have turned a dismal 2016 season into a team that challenged for the Big Ten East title in 2017. While this young team took many huge steps, they still have another hurdle in the Holiday Bowl. Finishing the season with 10 wins would be a huge coup for head coach Mark Dantonio.
However, in order for the Spartans to finish well, they will need to have these five players step up.
Joe Bachie had a tremendous year at middle linebacker with 94 tackles and 3.5 sacks yet he was snubbed from the first team all Big Ten. The Brook Park, Ohio, product was lightly recruited with offers from Illinois and Bowling Green.
Mark Dantonio knows talent when he sees it and Bachie played as a true freshman. He has stepped into the role of middle linebacker with a fierceness that fans have not seen since the days of Max Bullough.
Washington State is a passing team, however. The Cougars will hit you with the delayed handoffs as well as draws. Luke Falk is not known as a running quarterback and tends to stay in the pocket.
It will be up to Michigan State’s quarterback on defense to shut down this high-powered Cougar offense. Several times during the season, Bachie seemingly knew the opponents plays when they were at the line of scrimmage calling them — most notably, he did this in the Iowa game. Michigan State will need a similar performance from him to give the Spartans a chance to win.