3 Keys for Washington's Defense Against Michigan State

The Husky defense played well against the Spartans in 2022 and is looking to repeat its performance.

Washington's defense still has questions that need to be answered before Pac-12 play begins. At the same time, Michigan State's offense is relatively suspect, giving co-defensive Chuck Morrell's unit a chance to work things out.

The Spartans are led by quarterback Noah Kim, the Big Ten Player of the Week, and Connecticut transfer running back Nate Carter. Here's how the Husky defense can slow down the Spartans and pass its first big test of the season.

Stop the Run

Carter has been the focal point of the Spartan offense during the early portion of the schedule. He's rushed 37 times for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Washington has had trouble defending the run so far.

Linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio should be a big part of Morrell's defensive game plan. The senior has been effective in run support and, if the coaching staff decides to put safety Dominique Hampton closer to the line of scrimmage to provide help, Ulofoshio potentially could take more chances and shoot gaps to get into the backfield.

Get After the Quarterback

With a solitary sack through two games, Washington's defensive line hasn't been as effective yet in getting after the quarterback as it was in 2022. Kim is still relatively inexperienced and will be making just his third start as the Spartans quarterback.

While continuously battling double-teams, Bralen Trice hasn't brought down the quarterback yet this season and he's due to make that happen.

Test the Inexperienced Receivers

Michigan State's receivers are a question mark, too. The Spartans lost their two top receivers from last season when Jayden Reed left for the NFL draft and Keon Coleman transferred to Florida State, plus budding star in Germie Bernard, now with the Huskies. 

Through two games, freshman Jaron Glover has been the leading Michigan State receiver with 135 yards. The Huskies seem to have found a No. 1 cornerback in Jabbar Muhammad and, if he and Elijah Jackson can win consistently in man-to-man coverage on the outside, Morrell can assign extra personnel to stop the run.

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