Michigan State Football: 3 goals and a prediction against Washington

I’m excited to get back to what happens on the football field when it comes to Michigan State football. It has been a tumultuous week off the field so it will be interesting to see how these players and coaches will respond, albeit a tall task against an offensive juggernaut and top-10 team in Washington.

As we all know, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has feasted on past Spartan teams whether it was with Indiana in 2020 or last year in Seattle. This defense is better but haven’t faced a real test this year.

Offensively, the Spartans should be able to move the ball as the Huskies’ defense gives up plenty of yards and is last in the Pac-12 in sacks.

Let’s take a look at other things the Spartans need to know in order to upset Washington.

1. Score on the first drive

In the first two games, the Spartans failed to cash in on any of their first two drives. If this team has any chance of winning, it’s not going to be a defensive battle.

Michael Penix Jr. and the offense are elite, and the Spartans will have to match which means scoring at every opportunity and keeping the Washington offense off the field.

Run the ball, convert on third down, and take the easy yards. I’m getting a little sick of these long throws to the outside on 3rd-and-3 early in the game. Noah Kim has had so much more success making the short throws and then easing into the long plays; he looked way better last week than in Week 1, leading to the B1G Offensive Player of the Week award.

Whether it’s a field goal or a full-blown touchdown, just don’t start slow for the third week in a row.