Here's Where Michigan State Might Find the Huskies Most Vulnerable
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Michigan State will take a close look at this revamped University of Washington football team, searching for something, anything, to exploit, and the Spartans likely will choose to throw it on Saturday. Stretch the field. Go for the home run.
Whereas new NFL starters Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon were the strengths of the 2021 Huskies, the replacements for those cornerstone cornerbacks have been most vulnerable, getting beat up or getting beat.
UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman came up lame in the opener, grabbing at the back of his leg as if he appeared to suffer a hamstring pull, and sat out the second game.
Sophomore Mishael Powell is regularly getting picked on each time out as a new full-time starter, with Kent State sending one over his head for six points.
Redshirt freshman Elijah Jackson is just now returning to practice after a fall-camp injury.
Davon Banks, another redshirt freshman, has been banged up on and off.
Dyson McCutcheon, yet one more redshirt frosh, went from cornerback to the hybrid Husky position and back to corner.
Junior Julius Irvin made a bold position change — in-season, no make that in-game — from safety to cornerback for emergency reasons.
Finally, true freshman Jaivion Green played in each of the first two Husky games at corner and might never consider the residual redshirt season.
Whew. That was exhausting. Way too much going on all at once at cornerback.
"In any day and age, I think you're always concerned about your depth," co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said of the Husky secondary. "But I think the No. 1 thing is we've got guys continually being competitive out of that room, so we've had an opportunity to play a number of guys. So we're going to bank on that experience coming up into the meat of the season."
While UW physicality will be feverishly tested on both sides of the line this weekend, and everyone's poise will be pushed to the limits, visiting Spartans foremost will go after these corners hard and see how they respond.
Perryman and Powell should be first up at cornerback in the Husky lineup for Saturday's Pac-12/Big Ten showcase, both full of potential but unable to really settle into prominent roles just yet.
Michigan State won't care who's been injured in the UW secondary, how experienced anyone is or whether any of these guys are pro prospects. The Spartans likely will just say cover us or run for cover.
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