Why McCray's Rivalry Performance for MSU Can't Go Unnoticed

Chrishon McCray did a lot for MSU against Michigan, and he needs to keep it up.

Michigan State receiver Bryson Williams, right, celebrates his catch with receiver Chrishon McCray in the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. Michigan State won the game 15-6. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Spartans are coming off one of their biggest weekends in recent memory with not one but two massive wins against opponents that were supposed to have the upper hand, and in some cases, blow them out.

When it came to MSU basketball, players like Jordan Scott stepped up to lead the Spartans to a huge victory against Duke, and when it comes to football, wide receiver Chrishon McCray stepped up big time to get MSU into kicking range enough times to lead to a 15-6 win.

However, his impact on the field is getting way overlooked by the aforementioned special teams and the defense that played out of its mind. Sure, they both deserve a lot of credit for what they pulled off, but McCray needs to receive his kudos as well.

What Chrishon McCray Did Against Michigan

• The Spartans were simply not producing in the passing attack as they needed to against Michigan and had to rely heavily on their rushing game. The difference in yards between the two units is 136 yards across three rushers and 188 yards across nine different receivers, including Chrishon McCray.

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• That doesn't make it seem like the rushing game was all that more dominant than the pass attack, but if you remove McCray from the equation, everything is flipped on its head. The numbers end up moving to 136 rushing yards and 96 total receiving yards. McCray, on his own, had nearly half of the team's receiving yards.

• A lot of these catches came in big moments that got the Spartans into field goal range, and as many should know by now, the Spartans were only able to win because Liam Boyd was able to sink all five of his field goal attempts. Without McCray, the Spartans could have lost, or the game would have been a lot closer than it was.

What Chrishon McCray Must Do Going Forward

• It seems obvious that McCray absolutely needs to keep up this pace in the final games of the season. McCray needs to continue to produce, because the Spartans have no room for error anymore if they want to reach a bowl game. The odds are already slim, and another loss seals the deal.

• Without McCray, some games may remain unwinnable, and with everything on the line, that just cannot happen. He did it before in the biggest game of the year, and he can do it again.