Analyzing MSU's Snap Counts From Shocking Win at Michigan
In this story:
Battered and bruised (and then some), Michigan State finally found a way to find a way.
The Spartans took down Michigan 15-6 on Saturday. MSU entered at 2-6 overall, the losers of six in a row, and missing a large chunk of its best players. Even with all that going against the Spartans, they were legitimately the better team on Saturday night.
All the injuries have led to Michigan State constantly tweaking its snap totals. With those injuries in mind, here are the snap counts that stick out the most from MSU's first win over UM since 2021:
WR Bryson Williams (64 Snaps)
Sophomore wide receiver Bryson Williams entered Saturday having played no more than 24 snaps in a game this season. He became a quasi-starter once Rodney Bullard Jr. had to leave the contest after just four offensive snaps with what appeared to be a lower-body or hip injury.
Williams only caught one of his five targets, but that one catch meant quite a lot. That was a 36-yard deep ball in the fourth quarter that put Michigan State back into field-goal range. Michigan didn't even bother disguising the corner blitz on the boundary, leaving Williams one-on-one with a safety. Williams got the safety to hesitate with a subtle hitch-and-go route, giving him the separation he needed to make the catch.
MSU's wide receiving corps has really struggled this season, but the pool of young talent with Williams, Samson Gash, Charles Taplin, and Braylon Collier makes one wonder what the future holds. Williams is a big part of it, with the physical build he still has from his time as a running back and his ability to make some contested catches downfield.
RB Brandon Tullis (55 Snaps)
This probably hasn't been the year Brandon Tullis entirely imagined when he decided to come back to Michigan State. It was clear competition would be fierce when MSU took four running backs from the transfer portal, and it ultimately buried Tullis on the depth chart. He's been the team's RB5 for most of this fall.
Kenneth Williams was the expected starter with the Spartans' top three running backs all hurt, but it became clear pretty early on that Tullis was giving Michigan State the best shot to win. He ran with both the patience and power the Spartans have been waiting for from him. Tullis' final total of 86 yards on 25 carries doesn't overwhelm the senses, but this was the best game of his college career thus far.
Some credit should go to the offensive line, too. They struggled to pass-block all night, but it felt like MSU was relatively consistently winning at the point of attack against the Wolverines, particularly in the second half. That's not something that's really happened this season and part of what made Michigan State's performance remarkable.
DT Eli Coenen (53 Snaps)
Interior defensive linemen are not supposed to play about 95% of a team's defensive snaps. The position is considered too physical for that to be sustainable. Perhaps it's not, but Michigan State-Michigan is about guts sometimes. Eli Coenen only got three defensive snaps off all night against the Wolverines, playing 53 of 56 possible plays. Derrick Simmons' 28 snaps were the second-most among defensive tackles, for additional comparison.
Coenen was always going to be asked to do a ton, especially with star nose tackle Ben Roberts out. That sort of snap share is pretty insane, but the fact that MSU's defense played so well made that possible. His 53 snaps are actually the third-most of his season, but the 56-snap maximum is the fewest snaps the Spartans' defense has had to play against a Power Four-level opponent all year.
CB NiJhay Burt (51 Snaps)
NiJhay Burt was one of Michigan State's biggest stars in the rivalry win. That's not really a sentence that anyone thought they'd put into words. Burt is supposed to be a backup -- not a backup corner, but the backup nickelback. He's been thrust into action in the last few weeks, with injuries really piling up in the Spartans' cornerback room.
This was a heck of a week for Burt to have his best game as a Spartan. There were questions about how much he'd even play, with MSU getting corners Tyran Chappell and Keshawn Williams back from injuries. Burt remained the starter, though, and he wound up causing two turnovers (one interception, one forced fumble). He's certainly making it as difficult as possible to take him off the field.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika