MSU Players Whose Stock Increased, Decreased at Wisconsin
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Hardly anything seemed to go well for Michigan State this past Saturday against Wisconsin.
The Spartans got seemingly whacked every which way in Madison that day, falling 31-3 for their third consecutive loss. I publish a "winners and losers" piece immediately after the game, but it's still wise to go back and rewatch things. After doing that, here are some more players who seemed to play well or didn't play well.
Stock Up
DT Ben Roberts
It's really not much of an overstatement to say defensive tackle Ben Roberts has been MSU's best player over the last few weeks. Not many stats or players have seemed to rise and become better in the last three games against Power Four teams, but "Big Worm" has been one of them.
"I think Worm's playing at an all-Big Ten level. I really do," Pat Fitzgerald said Monday. "I think Ben, of anybody on our team right now, is the most consistent player on our football team. Ben Roberts, without a doubt. I think he's playing physical in the run game. He's producing in the pass rush."
Roberts was an effective defensive tackle for Michigan State last year, but he's made a real jump in his play this year, enough so that he should be getting some NFL Draft love. He's the Spartans' best run stopper as the nose tackle or 2i-technique, and Roberts takes on a lot of double teams as a pass rusher, which has helped free things up for 3-technique Eli Coenen.
Defensive tackle has wound up being a surprise strength for MSU this year. The depth at the position hasn't been great, but Roberts and Coenen have done a very good job as the Spartans' top two guys in the interior.
LB Dion Crawford
On rewatch, linebacker Dion Crawford definitely appeared to have a nice day in the team's second level. The linebackers as a whole didn't have a great day in their second game this year without star Jordan Hall, but Crawford did some nice things. He finished with a team-high eight total tackles (seven solo), and Crawford also knocked down a pass.
Crawford finished with the highest PFF grade (79.5) on the Spartans' defense on Saturday. There are plenty of times when PFF grades can be head-scratching, but this is one example where the grade seems to match the eye test. Crawford is actually the highest-graded defender for the whole season (86.0), though saying he's the best player on the defense would go a bit too far.
Stock Down
LT Ben Murawski
It also wasn't a super great day for starting left tackle Ben Murawski. He allowed a team-high three pressures on 30 pass-blocking snaps on Saturday, and his run-blocking wasn't really that tremendous either. The run-blocking is the area where Murawski was expected to be the most effective after he graded out as one of the best in that area last year at UConn, but it hasn't entirely translated to the Big Ten level.
Murawski has still been an OK left tackle, but the offensive line as a whole has definitely been a slight disappointment. It's still a better unit than last year's, but not by as much as many were hoping for.
LBs Brady Pretzlaff, Cam Stodghill
The Wisconsin game was probably the worst performance Brady Pretzlaff has had as a starting linebacker up to this point. His stat line still brings a respectable six total tackles, but there were several plays that Pretzlaff could've or should've made that he didn't.
On the long touchdown run by Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph, both Pretzlaff and Cam Stodghill should've had a real shot at him. Stodghill pretty much just didn't make the play, but Pretzlaff partially took himself out of it by floating over to where Wisconsin had set up a fake WR screen. By the time Pretzlaff noticed it was a run, Joseph had already taken off, and a lineman was there to set the final block.
MSU's Wide Receivers
Things have still been very, very underwhelming in the Spartans' wide receiver room this season. Michigan State and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan barely even seemed to try to push the ball downfield through the air on Saturday. The lack of explosiveness in MSU's offense isn't just a wide receiver problem, but the receivers are certainly part of it.
Michigan State's longest play of the day that wasn't aided by a Wisconsin penalty was just 13 yards. The Spartans' leading wide receiver on Saturday was Fredrick Moore, who required 12 targets to get just four catches and 23 yards. It's clear that secondaries don't fear any of Michigan State's playmakers, and it's tough to see the issue being fixed this fall.
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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.
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