Michigan State held the Badgers under 300 yards of offense, notched three sacks and nine TFLs. Wisconsin found the back of the end zone just once in the second half. The only real defensive issue against Wisconsin was the run defense. Led by Braelon Allen, the Badgers rushed for 152 yards.

To counter the Badgers’ run-heavy offense, Michigan State ran plenty of 4-3 defensive packages throughout the afternoon. That’s a big shift for a defense that has elected to add an extra defender to the secondary (4-2-5) for a majority of the season. 

After making the switch to defensive end at the start of the season, junior linebacker Jacoby Windmon was back in his natural position against Wisconsin. He looked extremely comfortable lined up alongside sophomore Cal Haladay and graduate senior Aaron Brule. 

“It felt good to be back home,” Windmon said. “It was just kind of natural for me, because I played linebacker for a long time.”

In fact, two of the most important plays of the game were made by Windmon. 

Following a failed attempt at a fourth down conversion on Wisconsin’s goal line, the Badgers’ offense was heading back to work with a 7-0 lead. Graham Mertz dropped back to pass and Windmon sat back in man coverage, waiting for the quarterback to pull the trigger. Mertz found his target, but Windmon leaped in front of the receiver, snatching the ball for an interception. The turnover set up Michigan State’s offense at the Badgers’ 12-yard line and sophomore running back Jalen Berger found the end zone on the ensuing drive to knot up the game 7-7. 

Windmon also forced what was essentially a game-clinching fumble. After scoring a touchdown to send the game to double overtime, Wisconsin’s offense trotted back to the field. On the very first play of the possession, Mertz handed the ball off to Allen, who had already racked up over 100 rushing yards that afternoon. Windmon stripped the ball from the running back and the Spartans pounced on it, cutting Wisconsin’s possession short. Redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne sealed the win on the following drive with his 37 yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Jayden Reed. 

“He’s definitely a playmaker,” graduate senior safety Xavier Henderson said of Windmon. “He thinks about it and he goes out there and does it. It’s really impressive to see.”

Windmon finished with a team high 11 tackles, two TFLs, an interception and a forced fumble. 

Perhaps the most essential change Saturday was the addition of Henderson and graduate senior defense tackle Jacob Slade. 

“Slade anchors our front seven and X (Henderson) runs the show in the backend,” Head Coach Mel Tucker. “It’s good to get those guys back, they fought hard to get back. That was critically important.”

Those two additions bolstered a defense that has been thin for weeks. 

In a shocking turn of events, one of the best performances of the night came from the secondary. Heading into the game, Michigan State’s pass defense allowed an average of 292 yards per game. Saturday afternoon, the Spartans managed to hold Graham Mertz and the Badger offense to just 131 yards through the air. That’s the fewest yards an opponent has managed against Michigan State’s secondary this season. 

Henderson’s presence in the backfield certainly seemed to help the secondary. 

“He’s one of those guys that’s gonna hold the whole defense accountable,” Windmon said. “He’s going to over communicate to make sure everyone’s one the same page. I heard him throughout the whole game.”

Henderson finished with five tackles and a TFL. 

Slade had a statistically quiet night in the interior, notching just one tackle and one QB hurry. However, his partner in the interior of the defensive line, redshirt sophomore Simeon Barrow Jr., had a productive night. He finished with three tackles, a sack and two TFLs. 

This week is a bye week for Michigan State. It’ll give players like Henderson, who still has a brace on his leg, more time to heal and prepare for what is sure to be a physical matchup in Ann Arbor. 

It’ll also give the team to build on what was their best defensive performance against a power five team this season. With a program as tight-lipped as Michigan State, it’s impossible to say how many of Saturday’s changes will stick. Windmon could make the shift back to defensive end next week, the defense could transition back to more 4-2-5 looks and of course, more injuries could occur. Senior cornerback Kendell Brooks was also unavailable versus Wisconsin and his status is uncertain.

But for now, it seems as though Tucker and the coaching staff have finally found something positive to build on defensively.