MSU Players Whose Roles Grew, Shrank in Loss at Wisconsin

These Spartans saw a shift in their snap count during the team's loss to the Badgers.

Michigan State’s head coach Pat Fitzgerald, center, talks with Jaziun Patterson, left, and Marvis Parrish before the football game against Nebraska on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan State has a lot to think about after getting walloped at Wisconsin.

The Spartans' 31-3 loss in Madison exposed the roster's talent problem, and the program has to examine many players' roles, both in the short term and the long term. MSU has begun to solidify its main playing group as best it can with the injuries it has experienced. Here's who saw notable jumps and decreases in playing time this week.

Risers

EDGE Isaac Smith

Michigan State's Isaac Smith celebrates after a stop against Penn State during the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Pass rusher Isaac Smith didn't necessarily get an uptick in his snaps this week, but his increase in playing time against Power Four competition is notable. He got just 14 total defensive snaps during Michigan State's first two non-conference games against Toledo (5 snaps) and Eastern Michigan (9 snaps). After his snap count rose to 15 at Notre Dame, it jumped to 45 vs. Nebraska and 26 at Wisconsin.

Smith's increased playing time appears to have eaten into defensive end Keahnist Thompson's snaps a bit. Thompson got just seven snaps against Nebraska after playing no fewer than 28 snaps through three games. His snap count returned to normal (26) against Wisconsin as Smith's snap share dropped a little bit. Smith felt like a player who could get buried on the depth chart a little bit before the season, but he's actually played fine lately.

WR KK Smith

Michigan State wide receiver Kk Smith (8) is tackled Wisconsin defensive back Javan Robinson (2) and safety Matt Jung (29) during the second quarter of their game Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Wide receiver KK Smith also got truly involved on offense for the first time this season. He saw game action only during the season opener against Toledo, receiving 11 total snaps. Smith didn't play in the three games after that, though he was unavailable against Eastern Michigan. He then got 24 offensive snaps on Saturday at Wisconsin, making a catch for 11 yards.

Forcing some competition at wide receiver could do Michigan State's offense some good. Rodney Bullard Jr. and Fredrick Moore have comfortably been the starters so far, and their production hasn't matched their status. Some reserves like Smith, Charles Taplin, Bryson Williams, Samson Gash, and Braylon Collier may deserve a closer look during games.

CB Jeremiah Favorite

Michigan State mascot "Sparty" runs with his flag during a football game against Toledo at Spartan Stadium on Friday, Sept. 5, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

One surprise from Saturday was the fact that Michigan State turned to true freshman cornerback Jeremiah Favorite for some help in the secondary. Cornerback has been a position where the Spartans have really had to dig into their depth. Starter Tyran Chappell was out on Saturday, as were key reserves NiJhay Burt and Keshawn Williams. MSU got back Tre Bell after he missed the Nebraska game, but the team still needed a third corner to rotate in.

Favorite taking that job as CB3 for the week is interesting. He hadn't played all season before Wisconsin, and third-year player Andrew Brinson IV was the presumed guy to get some playing time after he filled in last Saturday, so Favorite clearly earned his role for the week in practice. He was in for 20 plays, getting targeted once (with that pass going incomplete) in seven coverage snaps.

Fallers

DT Derrick Simmons

Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Simmons runs a drill during football practice on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan State is really beginning to centralize its interior defensive line around Ben Roberts and Eli Coenen. The Spartans somewhat had a real rotation at the start of the season, including Derrick Simmons and Mikeshun Beeler a fair bit. Simmons was still generally the third defensive tackle in the rotation, but he got just 13 snaps on Saturday against the Badgers. That's tied for his season-low with the season opener, when the MSU defense was on the field for 17 fewer plays.

Some of Roberts and Coenen getting all the snaps is because both are playing well, but their growing snap share could be tough to sustain for the rest of the way. Pat Fitzgerald may also be looking to get some more young guys involved as the season begins to trend downward. Simmons, as a former 4-star recruit and a redshirt freshman, could be one of those players.

OL Antonio Johnson

Michigan State offensive line coach Nick Tabacca observes practice during the first day of training camp on Thursday, August 6, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

MSU also isn't going to its "jumbo" looks quite as often as it did earlier in the season. Generally, it's been Antonio Johnson who has served as the team's sixth offensive lineman for some special packages. He's only gotten three offensive snaps in the team's last two games, though, including just one against Wisconsin on Friday.

Some of that could just be Michigan State's complete lack of offensive success -- it's just never really been many situations that have called for additional linemen. The Spartans' only lead in their three-game losing streak was a brief 3-0 advantage against Nebraska. Playing from behind usually means pass plays.