3 AM Arrival Be Damned, Huskies Leave Michigan State With 21-14 Win
Despite arriving in East Lansing well after midnight on Saturday, Washington overcame costly mistakes and a gritty Michigan State squad to secure its third straight road win.
Nationwide flight disruptions on Friday put the Washington Huskies at a major disadvantage, as Jedd Fisch's squad didn't touch down in East Lansing until 3 AM on Saturday morning.
As they have repeatedly done under Jedd Fisch, however, the Huskies persevered amid difficult circumstances to earn a hard-fought 21-17 win on Saturday night against the Spartans.
Washington has struggled on the road under Fisch, going 5-8 over three seasons entering the game. But receiver Chris Lawson and Ryan Walters' defense came through to extend the Huskies' road winning streak to three games.
When asked about the team's recent success on the road, particularly with the flight delay wrinkles added this time around, Fisch said, "Yeah, we've won three on the road in a row now, and proud of our guys. So proud of the way the team played. Our coaches did a great job. But again, hats off to Michigan State. We knew it was going to be a dogfight all the way through, and [we're] proud of our team."
In a frustrating but exciting game, Washington pulled out the win to improve to 6-4 on the year and secure a bowl berth for the third consecutive season under Fisch. Here are some takeaways from the contest:
The Defense Settled In After a Rough Start
On the third play of the game, Jeron Jones was in single coverage on the outside. He was beaten quickly by the wide receiver and couldn't get his head turned around to make a play on the ball, giving up a 30-yard gain.
Washington then failed to cover Carson Gulker, who was left wide open for a 26-yard gain. A few plays later, the senior tight end rushed into the end zone to put the Spartans up 7-0 early. It was a shocking 3 1/2-minute drive that looked far too easy against a usually stingy Huskies defense.
Walters then employed a bend-but-don't-break defensive approach for the rest of the game. Washington allowed 342 yards, but a missed field goal and two turnovers limited Michigan State to just 14 points on the night, including just seven after the opening touchdown.
The Spartans also converted all three of their fourth-down attempts, which is unusual given Walters' situational excellence, but those conversions didn't end up hurting the Huskies in the long run.
