MSU football's D-line big winner in tough loss to Northwestern

EAST LANSING – In Michigan State football's 24-21 loss to No. 23 Northwestern on Saturday, October 17th, the defense's performance stood out. The defensive end Anelu Lafaele, coming off a season-ending injury, began to find his footing. His four tackles included two sacks of Northwestern's starting quarterback Aidan Chiles, one of which was a suplex slam.

Lafaele also forced Chiles to fumble early, though Northwestern recovered. Meanwhile, the fifth-year senior DT Ben Roberts played at an All-Big Ten level. He racked up eight tackles, a career high, including two sacks of Chiles and a tackle for a loss. WR/KR Chrishon McCray contributed two key plays in the fourth quarter with a 41-yard punt return and a 53-yard touchdown catch.

However, the field goal unit struggled; kicker Liam Boyd missed a potential game-winning 33-yard field goal attempt. As for the team health, injuries have plagued MSU's top performers throughout the season, making the bye week even more crucial. On defense, the absence of key players like starting left tackle Ben Murawski, wide receiver Charles Taplin, and several key linebackers and cornerbacks made the defense's job even harder.

In the final minutes, Joe Rossi's decision to ease off the hurry-up defense led to Northwestern's game-winning field goal.