MSU Players Whose Snap Count Increased, Decreased vs. Illinois

Michigan State is still moving guys up and down the depth chart halfway through the season, sometimes out of necessity.

Snap counts, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, are in from the Spartans' 38-37 overtime loss to Illinois on Saturday, which came down to a two-point conversion that the Illini stopped. Here are the MSU players who got more playing time than usual, as well as those whose roles shrank a bit.

Snap Count Up

CB KJ Deriso (20 Defensive Snaps)

One of Saturday's biggest storylines was the injuries both sides dealt with. Illinois may have lost its starting quarterback, Katin Houser, after injuring his hand on the Devin Vaught interception late in the third quarter. Michigan State's defense, which had already dealt with a multitude of injuries this year, lost both of its starting corners and linebackers -- timelines for those players are unknown at this point.

Illinois had a true freshman quarterback at the end of the game, and MSU was playing a pair of true freshman cornerbacks. One of those corners was Jeremiah Favorite, who had already gotten some real experience last week at Wisconsin. The newer name was KJ Deriso, who got 20 defensive snaps in crunch time on Saturday. He got two defensive snaps last week, but the game's result was already decided. He was getting real playing time with the game on the line on Saturday.

TE Carson Gulker (6 Offensive Snaps)

Saturday was the first time tight end Carson Gulker really got involved in Michigan State's offense. He had gotten some offensive snaps here and there, but Gulker never got very close to having the ball in his hands. That changed against Illinois, perhaps with change-of-pace backup QB Cam Fancher out with a leg injury.

Gulker lined up at quarterback multiple times. He got two carries for seven yards, but the highlight was a pass to Bryson Williams that would've been a touchdown had there not been a flag for an illegal block in the back. Even with the penalty yardage, Gulker was credited with 19 passing yards on the play.

It feels like the Gulker package is another thing the Spartans can turn to offensively to try and throw off the opposing defense. Michigan State's usage of Fancher has had its very successful moments, with the threat Fancher poses with his legs. It can be a similar story with Gulker's abilities as a ball-carrier, with perhaps a larger emphasis on the additional muscle.

His passing ability will still be something defenses have to respect, too. He was once in the same quarterback room with Trinidad Chambliss at Ferris State. Gulker probably won't get much playing time beyond a specialized role given his struggles blocking, but offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan can still use him in a variety of ways.

Snap Count Down

RB Marvis Parrish (8 Offensive Snaps)

One of Saturday's surprises was how little RB2 Marvis Parrish was involved. The Illinois game could very well be new starter Jaziun Patterson's best game as a Spartan, scoring four total touchdowns and totaling 119 scrimmage yards, but Parrish just wasn't a real factor. He only got two touches on Saturday (one rush, one reception) and totaled eight yards from scrimmage.

What's perhaps even more mystifying is that one of Parrish's eight snaps was on the very last play. He took the snap on the game-deciding two-point conversion in overtime after Michigan State motioned quarterback Alessio Milivojevic out to the left. Illinois almost certainly didn't think the ball was going to stay in Parrish's hands in that moment, and the Illini pretty easily sniffed out the trick play.

LT Ben Murawski (33 Snaps)

One notable player who wasn't on the field during crunch time was left tackle Ben Murawski. Michigan State has been willing to rotate him in and out of games with its depth at offensive tackle, but the fact that Murawski was out during crunch time in the fourth quarter and during MSU's overtime drive felt a bit telling. Instead, Rakeem Johnson was playing at left tackle and Robert Wright Jr. at right tackle. Murawski's 33 offensive snaps were a season-low.

Murawski was struggling a bit when he did play, too. He was flagged twice on Saturday, though one of those flags was a pretty questionable holding call. His 52.2 PFF grade was the lowest among Michigan State's offensive linemen, though, and that seemed to match how things appeared to go on the field.