After the Jonathan Smith hire didn’t work out, Michigan State hired a coach known for punching above his weight: Pat Fitzgerald, who won way more games than anyone probably believed he could during a 17 year career at Northwestern. His teams were gritty, physical and disciplined. Since taking over Michigan State, the season has been defined by injuries and a six game losing streak broken last week against their rivals, Michigan. In a battle of completely inept offenses, they went into Ann Arbor without
their top three running backs or their leading tight end and beat Michigan 15-6, without scoring a touchdown. It was their first conference win of the year. There’s also a familiar face calling the plays: offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan coached Washington’s tight ends in 2022 and 2023 before following Kalen DeBoer to Alabama. To the preview.
The Numbers
Scoring: 19.3 points per game (119th in FBS)
Total offense: 292.1 yards per game (128th)
Yards per play: 4.3 (133rd)
Passing: 182.0 yards per game (115th)
Rushing: 110.1 yards per game (114th; 3.1 yards per carry, 131st)
3rd down conversions: 39.0% (72nd)
Red zone: 85.7% scoring rate (58th)
Turnovers: 1.2 per game (61st)
Sacks allowed: 3.0 per game (120th)
QB Alessio Milivojevic: 142-of-217 (65.4%), 1,451 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
RB Jaziun Patterson: 76 carries, 327 yards (4.3 YPC), 5 TD
Last week vs. Michigan: 298 total yards, five field goals, zero touchdowns, held ball for 38:07
Key Players
Third year quarterback Alessio Milivojevic took over as the starter for the last four games of 2025 and returned this year despite the coaching change. He was sharp in the two non-conference wins and has looked ordinary since. He missed the UCLA game with an injury, but was back against Michigan and went 21-of-32 for 188 yards. He’s accurate on short throws and takes care of the ball, with three interceptions all season. The weakness is that he holds the ball too long waiting for something to come open, contributing to 19 sacks in their first six games. Against Nebraska, Sheridan called the exact play-action shot he wanted, and Rodney Bullard Jr. was open on a crosser. Milivojevic never pulled the trigger and fumbled when he was brought down. As a player, he’s got a big arm and can throw a really nice deep ball. When it’s working, it’s beautiful to watch.
The running back room was supposed to be the strength of this team, and on paper it was. Then UConn transfer Cam Edwards, who ran for 1,240 yards last season, was lost for the season in September. Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson took over and played well. He’s a tough, north south runner and had four total touchdowns against Illinois, but he’s missed the last two games. Marvis Parrish got hurt on his second carry at UCLA. That left Brandon Tullis to carry the load against Michigan, and he ran 25 times for 86 yards. Tullis is the heaviest back on the roster, and a true short yardage, between the tackles player.
At receiver, Chrishon McCray (35 catches, 381 yards) is the leader and Milivojevic’s favorite target on third down. Bullard (22 catches, 253 yards) and Fredrick Moore (22 catches, 230 yards, two touchdowns) round out the starters, but nobody in this group forces a defense to play two deep safeties. Tight end Jayden Savoury (29 catches, 271 yards) has been one of the few bright spots, but he also missed last week.
The offensive line was rebuilt through the portal, with left tackle Ben Murawski (UConn), Nick Sharpe (South Carolina) and Trent Fraley (North Dakota State) brought in. It’s better than last year’s group, but that isn’t saying much. Pass protection is inconsistent, and the run game has averaged barely three yards per carry.
The Scheme
Husky fans should recognize some of what Sheridan wants to do. He worked under DeBoer at Indiana, Washington and Alabama, and the base of it is a quarterback friendly passing game that uses play action and pre-snap motion. The problem is that the roster can’t run the offense the way he’d like. Michigan State has had one of the least explosive offenses in the Power Four all year, with the fewest 20 plus yard plays through the first half of the season. Most of its successful plays are short gains. It moves the ball efficiently enough between the 20s, with a success rate near the middle of the country. Then it stalls because the big plays are few and far between.
Against Michigan, Fitzgerald and Sheridan really leaned into the ugly. They ran the ball, threw short and drained the clock. The best drive of the night started at their own one, and went 17 plays for 79 yards, taking 10:41 off the clock, and it ended in a field goal. That’s the plan when everything goes right – keep the ball away from the other team, trust the field goal unit and let the defense win them the game. It’s a very Fitzgerald way to play.
Final Thoughts
If you think Washington is struggling offensively, I am pleased to share with you that it can definitely get worse. This Michigan State offense is one of the worst in the Power Four, currently playing without most of its best skill players, and it’s averaging just 16.5 points per game in conference play. But Michigan State just showed how it can win ugly, in classic Pat Fitzgerald style: hold the ball, avoid turnovers and turn every trip inside the 30 into three points.
The keys should be simple. Stop the run on first and second down, and force Milivojevic to throw on third and long. That’s the situation he struggles with most, and it’s when Washington has its best chance to finally get to the quarterback. If they tackle well on the underneath throws, the Spartans shouldn’t be able to break many big plays. A 17-play drive like they had last week only happens when a defense keeps giving up four yards on second down. Of course, there is the chance that the Milivojevic deep ball magic causes some coverage busts and Michigan State gets explosives that way, but they haven’t proved that this year.
If Washington’s offense can build a lead early, it’s hard to see this Michigan State offense catching up. It hasn’t put together a long scoring drive against a good defense since September. The danger is a low scoring game that turns into a field goal contest.
