In a matchup that came down to the final seconds, the Spartans suffered heartbreak for the second straight Saturday. It was a 24-21 loss for Michigan State, falling to Northwestern.
In the loss, it was the best defensive effort the Spartans have had in multiple weeks. Despite a plethora of injuries, the Spartans had a strong next man up mentality, and found success in the matchup. Holding Northwestern to just 24 points and 360 yards in the game, the defense had six sacks on the day, while also forcing 12 pressures on the quarterback.
After looking at the film, and evaluating the game, Pro Football Focus (Subscription Required) gave out their grades for the Spartans in the game.
Check out who PFF ranked as the top five defenders from the Spartans game with the Wildcats:
- DT Ben Roberts - 81.5
- Edge Anelu Lafaele - 80.7
- DE Keahnist Thompson - 77.2
- DE Isaac Smith - 72.7
- Edge Kenny Soares Jr. - 68.4
There is no secrets here, the defensive line had its best game of the season, and did their part on Saturday afternoon. With the six sacks, and plugging run gaps, the tone was set in the trenches. Unfortunately, the second and third levels of the defense did not match the defensive line's energy.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Michigan State's top five defenders vs. Northwestern, according to PFF