What they say: Talking Michigan State football with Alex Faber of The State News

The Daily talked to Alex Faber of The State News about Michigan State football. The Spartans are playing Washington on Saturday evening.

Last year, Michigan State beat Miami on the road. This year's game is a chance for the team to build momentum. Last year Washington won the Peach Bowl. The State News talks football with Alex Faber of The News. Alex is an expert on college football. He thinks this game matters a lot for Michigan.

After 11 wins last year, the ultimate aspiration for Michigan State football team is to go 9-3 or 10-2. Last year's team was a little fluky, but running back Kenneth Walker III helped cover up some of the issues with this team.

The strength of Michigan State's offense is running the ball. The team signed Jarek Broussard from Colorado and Jalen Berger from Wisconsin. They are going to split carries between Brussards and Berger. There are some young receivers who could break out. Jayden Reed might be out for this game.

Michigan State's passing defense was atrocious last year. The team's defensive philosophy last season was to give up chunk plays and give away the big plays. This year, the team has more depth in the secondary. Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is going to test the Michigan State secondary this time. The secondary looked better against Akron last week.

Mel Tucker was the right hire at the wrong time for Michigan State football. He's coming in at a time when NIL is big and he's taking advantage of the transfer portal. He doesn't have the same schematically as Lincoln Riley. But he has a lot of influence on the recruits.

MSU will win 23-20 against Penn State on Saturday evening. Penix Jr. will probably score a lot of points.

Alex Faber and Ethan Kilbreath talk about Michigan State football with The State News.

Alex Faber talks Michigan State football with The State News.