Washington overcomes challenging night of travel to beat Michigan State 21-14 on TD with 2:24 left

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Washington was one of the teams whose travel plans were delayed by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to ground all flights.

That didn't get in the way of the Huskies accomplishing a goal to become eligible for a bowl game.

Jayden Limar had a tiebreaking, 1-yard touchdown run with 2:24 left and Washington held on to beat Michigan State 21-14 on Saturday night after arriving about 15 hours before kickoff.

“There was a lot of adversity over the course of the last 24 hours, and I think our team handled it exceptionally well,” coach Jedd Fisch said.

The Huskies (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) have won three straight on the road, but they haven't had a trip quite like their latest one.

“Regardless what time we fly in, we knew the game was going to be played,” Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. said.

The Spartans (3-7, 1-6) can't earn an automatic bid to the postseason in coach Pat Fitzgerald's debut season after losing for the seventh time in eight games.

“You can’t beat your opponent when you beat yourself and I take responsibility," Fitzgerald said.

Michigan State missed two chances to break a 14-all tie in the second half and its comeback hopes ended with Carson Gulker's fumble at the Washington 41 with 35 seconds remaining.

Cam Fancher was about to be sacked by Ramzak Fruean and threw an ill-advised pass over his head that Jacob Manu intercepted with one hand on the sideline at the Washington 23 late in the third quarter. Liam Boyd was wide right on 50-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter after Dezmen Roebuck lost the football on a punt return.

Washington used a trick play to spark its game-winning drive.

Demond Williams Jr. tossed the ball to Roebuck, who threw a lateral back to the quarterback to set up a 32-yard pass to Decker DeGraaf and Limar's 1-yard run put the Huskies ahead a few plays later.

Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic injured his left arm in the second quarter after completing 7 of 12 passes for 108 yards. Fancher, who left the game with an injury before returning, was 14 of 22 for 134 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception.

A week after not scoring a touchdown in a 15-6 win over rival Michigan, the Spartans got in the end zone twice in the first half against Washington and were held scoreless in the second half.

Milivojevic converted a third-and-8 on the opening drive with a 30-yard pass to Bryson Williams and threw a 26-yard pass to Gulker on the next snap, setting up Gulker's 1-yard run after taking a direct snap in the backfield.

Williams Jr. threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lawson late in the first quarter and connected with the receiver again for a 17-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.

The Spartans pulled into a 14-all tie on Fancher's 2-yard pass to Bryson Williams with 1:55 left in the first half after converting a third-and-20 with Fancher's 29-yard completion to Fredrick Moore.

The takeaway

Washington: The team overcame a challenging night of traveling and limited sleep to earn a win that will put the program in the postseason for the third time in three seasons under Fisch.

“It’s a credit to them with the tough trip they had," Fitzgerald said.

Michigan State: The hits kept coming for a banged-up team with two quarterbacks, safety Michael Richard and defensive lineman Ben Roberts joining the long list of injured players.

Up next

Washington plays No. 6 Indiana at home on Saturday.

Michigan State hosts No. 18 Oregon on Friday night.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here