EAST LANSING — The best kicker on the field belonged to Michigan State in Friday’s 23-6 win over Western Michigan. And he was a punter.

Ryan Eckley’s booming leg has been an X-factor for the Spartans his whole career, but the redshirt junior’s contributions were especially prominent Friday night. With kickers Tarik Ahmetbasic and Martin Connington out with injuries, Eckley tacked on kickoffs to his usual punting duties and even tried kicking a field goal.

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Eckley missed his 46-yard field goal attempt wide left — the same distance that Western Michigan’s usual kicker, Hunter Smith, bounced the ball off the turf from. The usual kickers, including Ahmetbasic and Blake Sislo (who hit 3-of-3 PATs) laughed with him as they went down the tunnel.

But where Eckley proved a true

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