EAST LANSING, Mich. — After almost four weeks away from Spartan Stadium, Michigan State is back home Saturday, Nov. 14, when Washington comes to town for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff on Military Appreciation Day, with Big Ten Network carrying it.
The Spartans (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) come back to East Lansing riding the high of a 15-6 win in Ann Arbor that brought the Paul Bunyan Trophy home for the first time since 2021 and snapped a five-game conference skid. Michigan State never trailed, outgained Michigan 298-192, forced four turnovers and piled up five sacks.
Two players picked up Big Ten weekly awards for that night. Kicker Liam Boyd scored every Spartan point with five field goals, tying his career best, and was named Special Teams Player of the Week. Cornerback NiJhay Burt was the Defensive Player of the Week after six tackles, an interception, a forced fumble that he also recovered and a pass breakup. Boyd now has 16 field goals this season, tied for third in the conference.
Washington (5-4, 2-4) arrives off a near-miss at home. The Huskies fell behind Penn State by 22 points and rallied all the way back to within three before losing 28-25. Their two Big Ten victories this fall both came away from Seattle, at Purdue and Nebraska.
The Huskies bring one of the best punters in the country in Hunter Green, who leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally at 48.1 yards per kick. Their defense has 12 interceptions, seventh in the nation, and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has run for 1,147 career yards.
History favors the visitors. Washington leads the all-time series 4-1 and has won four straight, including a 41-7 rout in East Lansing in 2023, the last time the teams met. Saturday marks their first meeting as Big Ten members. Michigan State lone win in the series came in the first matchup, 27-11 in 1969.
First-year Spartan coach Pat Fitzgerald is 3-6 at Michigan State. Washington coach Jedd Fisch, in his third season in Seattle, is 20-15 with the Huskies.
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