Big Plays Early and Late Fuel Husky Win at Michigan State

November 15, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Nov 14, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (1) hands off the ball to Washington Huskies running back Jayden Limar (17) during the first quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at … | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Kate Pearson Halyburton, EditorBig Plays Early and Late Fuel Husky Win at Michigan State. Washington’s eight-play, 78-yard touchdown drive broke a 14-14 tie late in the fourth quarter at Michigan State. Running back Jayden Limar scored what was ultimately the game-winning touchdown to cap a possession that was fueled by explosive plays. Entering that drive, Washington had just one play of 10-plus yards in the second half. All four of its previous second-half possessions ended with a punt and combined for just 41 total yards. The game-winning touchdown drive featured four plays of 10-plus and gave Washington a 21-14 win at Michigan State.

Big Plays Fuel Husky Win at Michigan State

Explosive Passing Early

Demond Williams started the game four for four passing with each throw traveling less than 10 air yards. His next two attempts then traveled 40-plus air yards each but were both overthrown, despite the receivers gaining a step on the defenders. That didn’t prevent Williams from continuing to attack the deep part of the field. Two plays after his deep incompletions, Williams connected with Chris Lawson for a 58-yard touchdown, hitting his receiver in stride as he was tackled across the goal line. It was Lawson’s first reception of 50-plus on the year, and it tied the football game at seven.On the Huskies’ next offensive possession, explosive plays again fueled the drive. Consecutive false start penalties turned a second and one into a second and 11, and Williams immediately responded to the adversity with three-straight explosive throws.He connected with Rashid Williams on a 26-yard sideline pass on the next play. The Husky receiver displayed excellent sideline awareness as he toe-tapped the green grass for a big-play first down. Williams targeted Decker DeGraaf for 33 yards on the next snap, before finding Lawson for a 17-yard touchdown, his second of the game. Lawson finished with 125 receiving yards on five catches (24.8 yards per reception) in what was his third 100-yard game in the last four outings.Photo Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

Replay Third Down

Michigan State tied the game at 14 late in the first half with a 13-play, 69-yard scoring drive that included two third-down conversions and a fourth-down touchdown. The Washington defense aided the drive with a roughing the passer penalty early in the possession. Still, a key Husky coaching decision on the drive is what ultimately kept the Spartan possession alive. Derek Colman-Brusa sacked backup quarterback Cam Fancher on third and 10 for a loss of one yard. It would have set up fourth and 11 from the Husky 26-yard line, and a likely field goal attempt. But a Spartan holding penalty on the play was accepted, and the 10-yard penalty was applied, giving Michigan State another attempt at third down. This time it was third and 20.Fisch decided to push the Spartan offense out of manageable field-goal range and bet on his defense to get the stop on third-and-very-long. But on the next play, Fancher connected with Fredrick Moore for 29 yards to keep the drive going. The Spartans pushed it to the goal line, where they converted a fourth-and-goal for a touchdown to cap the possession. The tie game remained until Limar’s one-yard touchdown with just over two minutes in the game.

Defensive Moments

The Spartans strung together a quality late-game drive following Limar’s touchdown, including two more fourth-down conversions to move into plus territory. That’s when the Husky defense stepped up with another quality stop. After a short reception, Xe’ree Alexander punched the football out of Carson Gulker’s hands, and the freshman Colman-Brusa was there to jump on the loose football. Washington took over and kneeled it out for the win.In three Midwest road wins this season, Washington’s defense has ended each one with a game-altering turnover. At Purdue, it had interceptions on two of the final three Boilermaker drives in a 12-point win. At Nebraska, Alex McLaughlin had a pick-six on the Cornhuskers’ second-to-last possession to put the game out of reach. And on Saturday, another key late-game turnover iced the game for a Husky win at Michigan State.

The Last Word

Washington has now won three consecutive Big Ten road games, with wins at Purdue and Nebraska in October. It’s the first time since 2023 that the Huskies have won three consecutive games on the road, and Saturday’s win in East Lansing gives Washington bowl eligibility.Next week, the defending national champions enter Husky Stadium for the third consecutive season as Washington hosts Indiana. The Huskies defeated No. 10 Michigan at home in 2024, and lost to top-ranked Ohio State last year in its other two games against the defending champions.Main Photo: Dale Young-Imagn Images