Michigan State stunned its biggest rival on Saturday night, defeating Michigan by a final score of 15-6 in Ann Arbor. Five made field goals by fifth-year senior kicker Liam Boyd lifted the Spartans to victory. But Boyd wasn't the only player who made an impact.
While there were multiple contributors for MSU in the victory, one specific player stood out as a less-heralded Spartan who played a large role in the final result.
With multiple injuries in the backfield, Michigan State relied heavily on running back Brandon Tullis. He set new career highs in rushing attempts with 25 and rushing yards with 86. While his 3.4 yards per carry can be improved, Tullis ran hard, and he — along with his offensive line — brought the physicality to the Wolverines.
Tullis added three receptions for three yards against U-M.
Michigan State has been absolutely depleted at the running back position. MSU lost starting running back Cam Edwards for the rest of the season in late September, after he suffered an apparent right knee injury against Nebraska. Edwards' replacement, Jaziun Patterson, has missed the past two games due to an undisclosed injury. The next running back up on the depth chart, Marvis Parrish, is also out with an injury.
All of these injuries led to an opportunity for Tullis, who has been dealing with health issues of his own. Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald noted that Tullis was wearing a non-contact jersey earlier in the week. But he gutted through the pain and suited up on Saturday.
"BT was awesome," Fitzgerald said about Tullis' performance against the Wolverines. "He's been banged up ... it's been a tough road for BT ... He's just an absolutely terrific young man. And it goes back to what I said earlier with the question about responding — he responded tonight. Opportunity presented itself, and he responded. He was non-contact in Tuesday's practice. So, that'll tell you the type of game the young man played today. I mean, I'm just incredibly proud of him."
Tullis wasn't going to miss his chance, though, especially against the archrival Wolverines.
"There was nothing that was gonna keep me off the field," Tullis said. "Our coaches do a good job of rotating us (running backs). But, yeah, nothing was gonna stop me from getting this win today — me or my teammates."
Playing through pain comes with the territory in the game of football, and Tullis and Fitzgerald embrace it.
“Our coach instills in us that we love the pain, and I love the pain this week, and I just had to go through it and provide for the team and get the win today," Tullis added.
Kenneth Williams also played a big part for the Spartans, rushing 10 times for 41 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and recording three receptions for 23 yards.
Tullis, Williams and tight end Carson Gulker combined for 136 yards on the ground on 37 rushes. However, quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was sacked three times, resulting in a loss of 15 rushing yards. Meanwhile, MSU held Michigan to 54 rushing yards on 26 attempts (2.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown, counting yardage loss on sacks.
Michigan State did exactly what it set out to do.
“The plan was to run the ball and to stop them from running the ball,” Tullis said. "We did our job today."
