It has been a turbulent week in East Lansing. Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker was suspended without pay amidst allegations of sexual harassment.

With Tucker suspended, Harlon Barnett was named acting head coach, Mark Dantonio has rejoined the program as an associate head coach and defensive analyst TJ Hollowell has been designated as MSU's 10th on-field assistant. Dantonio will serve as an advisor for Barnett and the rest of the staff on game days and throughout the week at practice and in meetings.

With the current situation, it might be easy to lose sight of the fact that Michigan State has its biggest game of the 2023 season to date on Saturday as the No. 8-ranked Washington Huskies come to East Lansing.

The game will stream exclusively on Peacock and kickoff is set for 5:06 p.m. Eastern Time.

Washington defeated Michigan State 39-28 in Seattle last season, in a game that the Huskies controlled throughout. Michigan State will be looking to return the favor at home on Saturday.

Here is a preview of Saturday's showdown between the Huskies and the Spartans.

Michigan State:

-Record: 2-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 435.5 total yards, 291 passing yards, 144.5 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 206 total yards allowed, 107 passing yards allowed, 99 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 45.45%
-Third-down defense: 14.29%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 76 (38.0 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 21 (10.5 per per game)

Washington:

-Record: 2-0 (0-0 in Pac-12)
-Offense (per game averages): 565.5 total yards, 472 passing yards, 93.5 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 360 total yards allowed, 207 passing yards allowed, 153 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 52.94%
-Third-down defense: 38.24%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 99 (49.5 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 29 (14.5 per game)

Current SP+ rankings:

-Michigan State: 37th
-Washington: ninth

-All-time head-to-head record: Washington leads 3-1
-Current streak: Washington has won three games in a row
-Last Michigan State win: Sept. 20, 1969 (27-11)
-Last Washington win: Sept. 17, 2022 (39-28)
-Michigan State all-time record: 728-479-44 (.600)
-Washington all-time record: 762-464-50 (.617)

Michigan State:

Instead of the expected "Shadows" all-black uniform look, Michigan State will go with white helmets (green face mask), green jerseys with white lettering and numbering, and green pants.

For more, Spartans Illustrated guest contributor "@msu_uniforms" takes a closer look at this week's uniform combination here.

Washington:

No official word on Washington's uniforms as of press time, but with Michigan State wearing green, expect the Huskies to wear white with accents of purple and gold.

Michigan State 45, Richmond 14

It was another somewhat slow start for Michigan State offensively in this game, but once things got rolling, it was smooth sailing for the Spartans against an overmatched FCS opponent.

Quarterback Noah Kim missed his first three passes before completing 18 of his final 19 throws, including a program-record 15 in a row to end the day. Kim finished with 292 passing yards and three passing touchdowns, and was later named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Michigan State's lone touchdown of the first quarter came on an 11-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Tre Mosley. In the second quarter, a touchdown pass from Kim to tight end Tyneil Hopper and a 52-yard field goal that bounced in off of the crossbar from kicker Jonathan Kim gave Michigan State a 17-0 advantage over Richmond at halftime.

In the second half, the rout was on as running back Nathan Carter scored three touchdowns, including a 44-yarder, to give the Spartans a commanding 38-0 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, a 47-yard fumble return by Richmond defensive back Aaron Banks got the Spiders on the board for the first time of the game. A few minutes later, Michigan State answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Kim to wide receiver Antonio Gates Jr., giving the Spartans a 45-7 lead.

With just over five minutes to play, with plenty of players who came in off the bench for both sides, Richmond quarterback Jackson Hardy connected on a five-yard pass with tight end Sean Clarke to make the score 45-14, following the extra point. That would end up being the final score.

Check out the full game recap here.

Washington 43, Tulsa 10

Tulsa was able to be somewhat competitive early on, but eventually Washington's explosive offense was too much for the Golden Hurricane.

UW got on the board with a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to wide receiver Rome Odunze on the opening drive of the game. Tulsa responded with a 44-yard field goal from kicker Chase Meyer, cutting the Huskies lead to 7-3.

Washington immediately answered with a nine-play touchdown drive, capped off by a 27-yard rushing score by wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. The Huskies lead 14-3 with 2:5- remaining in the first quarter.

Tulsa then turned the ball over on downs, but got it right back a few plays later when safety Jaise Oliver intercepted Penix. However, Tulsa quarterback Cardell Williams then threw a pick of his own on the ensuing drive.

Washington capitalized on the turnover as Penix found wide receiver Jalen McMillan on a nine-yard touchdown pass. After adding two-points after the touchdown, the Huskies lead 22-3. That score held through halftime.

The second half was all Huskies. Washington scored three more times, with Penix throwing touchdowns to wide receiver and former Spartan Germie Bernard and another one to Odunze, and running back Daniyel Ngata scoring on a one-yard run. Tulsa did add a touchdown in the fourth quarter before Ngata's touchdown, but it didn't make much of a difference.

Washington earned the 43-10 victory over Tulsa.

-Michael Penix Jr./Washington wide receivers versus Michigan State secondary: Let's start with the most obvious. Penix and the Huskies torched Michigan State through the air last season to the tune of 397 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Washington returns Penix and a stable of wide receivers that likely has multiple future NFL players in it. Through two games in 2023, Washington owns the No. 1 passing attack in the country at 472 passing yards per game. Penix will spread the ball out. Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze each have recorded at least 182 receiving yards yards and scored at least one touchdown through two games thus far. Former Spartan Germie Bernard has recorded 90 receiving yards and a touchdown himself. Odunze leads the group with 239 yards, while McMillan leads in touchdowns with three. Compared to last season, Michigan State's defensive backfield has looked stronger, more physical and better overall in coverage through two games in 2023, but the Spartans are yet to play a team that has challenged them downfield. That changes on Saturday as Michigan State faces Washington's daunting passing attack in what will be the first true test of the season for MSU's young secondary, and possibly the most challenging passing offense the Spartans see all year. Perhaps just as importantly, the linebackers are going to have to do a better job in coverage this time around as well. If MSU wants to have any shot in this one, the Spartans have to mitigate Washington's passing attack as best as possible. Easier said than done, though.

-Winning the trenches: While Washington decimated Michigan State through the air last year, it felt like the Huskies dominated in every aspect from the opening whistle. Washington appeared to be the more physical team in 2022. That cannot be the case again in 2023 if the Spartans want to win. Michigan State's offensive line has left some things to be desired against rather weak competition thus far, but has had its moments as well. Meanwhile, the Huskies have had some health issues along the defensive line, and have struggles to stop the run. UW has given up 153 rushing yards per game on average through two games, which ranks toward the bottom of the country at 93. MSU has averaged 144.5 rushing yards per game and could come in with the advantage there this weekend. On the other the side of the ball, Washington lost several starters from its 2022 offensive line and has been dealing with injuries there in 2023. UW isn't really an offense known for running the ball, but the Huskies have really struggled here in 2023, averaging just 93.5 rushing yards per game (tied for 112th in FBS). Along the defensive line, Michigan State has been rotating in several capable players to keep each other fresh, and has only allowed 99 yards on the ground per game (39th in the nation), although the competition has been weak. Perhaps more importantly, though, the Spartans have to apply pressure to Penix in the pass rush, and it is crucial to do so on four-man rushes. Penix has only been sacked one time so far this season. Michigan State has recorded 10 sacks, tied for third in FBS.

-Time of possession: Speaking of the trenches, Michigan State has to control the ball and control the clock. Obviously avoiding turnovers is the most important thing, but the next important aspect is a statistic that I normally find a bit overrated, but will be pivotal to win against Washington: time of possession. Playing keep away from UW's lethal offense will go a long way toward a victory for MSU. It will also keep the defense fresh. Of course, Washington can score in a hurry, but the defense has to limit explosive plays and keep the offense fresh as well. Running back Nathan Carter will be relied upon heavily in this one, especially if his backfield mates Jalen Berger and Jaren Mangham are unable to play due to injury. With the new running clock rules in place for 2023 in which the clock continues to run after first downs (outside of two minutes or less to play in either half), Michigan State can use that to its advantage by sustaining long, methodical drives. Michigan State can not afford a lot of three-and-outs in this game. Coming into this game, MSU has possessed the ball, on average, for 27:52 of gameplay, while opponents have had the ball, on average for 32:08. Losing time of possession against team like Richmond didn't matter for the outcome, but it certainly could be a detriment against Washington's offense.

-Date/Kickoff Time: Saturday, Sept. 16, 5:06 p.m. Eastern Time
-TV Channel: Peacock
-TV Announcers: Brendan Burke (play-by-play), Chris Simms (analyst), Caroline Pineda (analyst)
-Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
-Weather Expectations: Cloudy with temperatures around 72 degrees at kickoff, winds blowing south/southwest around four miles per hour
-Current Line: Michigan State +16.5, according to DraftKings

Despite the current situation with Tucker, all signs seem to be pointing toward a united front for the Spartans. It sounds as if the players have rallied around each other and Barnett, and are energized and focused on the task at hand, which is Washington.

"This is a determined group," Barnett said on Tuesday. "They worked very hard this offseason. They've worked very hard so far this season. Hey, we're 2-0, right? And they're still motivated and excited to move forward in this season. We have a mission to complete, so we're mission-focused."

Barnett expects his team to get through this adversity and to continue to compete in 2023.

"We're tough, we're Spartans, we're resilient," Barnett said. "For another term that I tell people sometimes, I'm a dawg. Be a dawg. We're gonna push through this as Spartans do, and Spartans will ... We will push through this and we will become better for it, like everybody does when they come through adverse situations — they keep fighting, they keep pushing through. So I expect that to happen."

All the right things are being said and the morale in the locker room seems to remain high, but it's still fair to wonder how much of that will translate over to the field, especially against a top-10 ranked team in the nation. Are the players really going to come out motivated, focused and ready to pull an upset, or will they be (understandably) emotionally drained?

There is a path to victory here for the Spartans. The crowd will be raucous. If you follow trends, one thing to note is that Washington does not seem to perform well on grass fields, such as that at Spartan Stadium. The Huskies are 9-12 on such surfaces since 2014 and just 5-9 since 2017.

Also following trends, the Huskies have dropped each of their past two road openers, losing to UCLA in 2022 and Michigan in 2021. Similarly, as Matt Sheehan pointed out in his 3-2-1 preview this week, Michael Penix Jr. has a record of just 1-3 in his first road game of the season as a starting quarterback. Let's also keep in mind, it's very difficult to travel from west to east, and that could play a factor in how sharp the Huskies are, too, but likely won’t be a huge deal. Washington has dropped its last two games out far east to Michigan and Auburn (in Atlanta), however.

On the field, Chase Glasser's Film Room session highlighted a few of Washington's weaknesses. He points out that Washington's linebackers are often slow to react in the running game, and that the Huskies are poor tacklers as well.

As mentioned above, the Huskies also struggle to run the ball and stop the run as well.

With all of that said, the Huskies may still have the largest advantage of all. Washington has the most potent passing attack in the country, and MSU's passing defense has ranked toward the bottom of the country in terms of yards allowed per game for the past couple of seasons now. As mentioned, Michigan State's secondary looks much improved in 2023, but we won't actually know that until it goes up against a team that can truly throw the football. Again, the linebackers have to step up in pass coverage as well, something they struggled with in 2022. We will find out where the Spartans' ability to defend the pass actually stands on Saturday.

Offensively, Michigan State is going to have to control the clock, avoid turnovers, avoid three-and-outs and score a decent amount of points to keep up with the Washington offense.

Defensively, Michigan State is going to have to stop the run to keep Washington from gaining an advantage on the ground, too, which shouldn't be an issue. However, MSU must also force Washington's passing attack to "dink and dunk" them down the field. The Spartans can't afford to give up a lot of play of 20 yards or more. Washington will put up points, but limiting that as much as possible, forcing field goals in the red zone and creating takeaways will go a long way toward a victory for the Spartans.

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