Washington Football: 4 Key Players in Week 3 at Michigan State

After two weeks and two non-conference match-ups, Washington football remains unbeaten and ranked eighth in the recent AP poll. Next is a trip to East Lansing to take on a tough Michigan State team. Who will be the key players for the Huskies in week 3?

4 key players for Washington football in Week 3 at Michigan State

Germie Bernard

It wasn’t straightforward how 2022 recruit Bernard ended up with the Huskies. He was originally committed to Washington football only to decommit and join the Michigan State Spartans for one year before transferring to the UW. Now, he is back with Washington and has been comfortably slotted into the receiver room.

Bernard is coming off a productive game against Tulsa. The former 4-star recruit hauled in two catches for 43 yards, while grabbing his first touchdown in purple and gold. Bernard was also used in a few handoffs, which shows that Ryan Grubb wants to get him involved as much as possible.

Going up against his old team, Bernard will be a key piece in the passing game. Washington is in a great place at receiver, with a stacked room. This means if Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan are double-teamed, Bernard and others are more than capable of stepping up.

Elijah Jackson

Michigan State has looked very effective in the run game but quarterback Noah Kim has aired it out a decent amount. The Spartan wide receivers room has three players with over 100 yards after two games.

Jabbar Muhammad has been close to lockdown after two games, with the other side of the field being up in the air. Elijah Jackson had a rough first game but looked better against Tulsa last weekend. Davon Banks might not be able to play on Saturday, which means Jackson could see a higher snap count opposite Muhammad.

With three receivers who can make plays and a hostile environment, Jackson will have to be focused. The coaching staff have faith in the corner and it will be a big step if he can keep his side of the field quiet, however many snaps he plays.

Edefuan Ulofoshio

The former walk-on linebacker leads the team in tackles through two weeks with 14, 11 of which were solo. Expect that number to jump up after the match in East Lansing. The Spartans have had success running the ball over two weeks against weaker opponents.

Washington has struggled in spells to stop running plays, especially out on the edges. Michigan State running back Nathan Carter is the key threat on offense. He is an explosive runner, who can make sharp cuts and punish defenses.

Ulofoshio will need to be diligent against the run. He will need to be an enforcer down the middle, but be alert on getting to the outside and preventing big plays. Also, the missed tackles we have seen will need to be nipped in the bud. Giving MSU free yards is not going to make winning the game easy.

Will Nixon

Nixon has been the most productive running back for Washington on limited carries. Transfer Dillon Johnson struggled in week 1. This could have been due to a lingering injury as he was ruled out last weekend. DeBoer has said that he hopes Johnson will be good to go Saturday, which will be a boost.

If Johnson does or doesn’t suit up, Will Nixon is still an important piece in the week 3 match-up. As mentioned Nixon has only had 12 carries over two weeks, but has averaged 6.5 yards per carry. The former wide receiver has looked sharp with his carries and has surprised a lot of the UW fans. With the unfortunate injury to Cam Davis, it does feel that Nixon can make that step up.

The running game feels like it has been held back by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Will we see it in full force on Saturday? If we do, expect Will Nixon to be a key contributor in both the run and passing game for Washington football.