Michigan State’s defensive game plan this week starts with a simple idea: keep Nebraska from turning routine snaps into backbreaking gains.
That’s easier said than done. The 3-0 Cornhuskers arrive in East Lansing with one of the country’s most productive offenses, ranking 10th nationally in total offense, 11th in scoring offense and 12th in rushing offense.
Even more alarming for the Spartans, Nebraska has piled up big plays at a frantic pace. Only Memphis has more gains of 20 yards or more than the Huskers’ 23.
“We've gotta limit those,” MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “I'd love to tell you we can shut it down each week, I think that's an unrealistic expectation. We gotta limit it.”
That’s the job for a Spartan defense that has already shown a vulnerability to explosive plays. Through a 2-1 start, Michigan State has surrendered 12 scrimmage plays of at least 20 yards - five against Toledo, three against Eastern Michigan and four last weekend at Notre Dame. Ten of those have come through the air, including all four against the Fighting Irish.
“Some were a lack of eye discipline,” Fitzgerald said. One came on an underneath coverage issue, he said. “And then the other ones we got beat.”
Nebraska’s offense makes that kind of cleanup work tougher because the damage can come from everywhere. Six different Cornhuskers have caught passes of 20-plus yards, and six have also produced rushing gains of at least 20 yards. That spread-out production makes it hard for a defense to key on one player and hope the rest of the operation slows down.
The engine behind it is quarterback Anthony Colandrea, the UNLV transfer and 2025 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. Fitzgerald said Nebraska’s offense is “completely different” than it was a year ago, and the cohesion shows.
Colandrea, who began his career at Virginia, has already run for 75 yards and two touchdowns this season after putting up 649 rushing yards and 10 scores last fall with the Rebels. Across his career, he has more than 1,200 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
“He's very athletic,” Fitzgerald said. “He's dynamic, to be quite honest with you.
He can take it to the house if you're not gap sound, you're not rush-lane conscious. … You can just tell he's a gamer and he understands Dana's offense.
He's putting the ball in play-makers' hands, he's making really good decisions with the ball. He's not putting it in harm's way.
He's got a big-time arm, he can make all the throws, so he's a complete dual-threat quarterback.
“They don't give away player of the year in a conference, that's earned.”
Fitzgerald also pointed to freshman running back Jamal Rule as a major piece of the challenge. Rule ranks third in the Big Ten with 329 rushing yards, and Fitzgerald drew a comparison to Husker legend Lawrence Phillips. On the perimeter, Jacory Barney Jr. and UCLA transfer Kwazi Gilmer have handled much of the receiving load so far.
MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi called Nebraska’s skill group “really good,” but said the threat goes beyond the top names.
“They have two really high-end receivers, but then the guys that are behind them, I think, are very talented, too. They got length and speed, they can take the top off the coverage. (Barney) is electric with the ball in his hands, he was an all-conference punt returner last year.
“But I think the thing that separates them from some people is they're doing it in the run game, too. They've got multiple explosives in the run game, and it's not just one guy, it's multiple people.
I've just been impressed with their level of talent at the skill positions. And then you look at the quarterback, I think he's doing a great job.
He can hurt you with his arm, he can hurt you with his feet. It's gonna be a big challenge for us.”
For Michigan State, the answer may begin with the front seven and end before Nebraska can get rolling. Starting rush end Kenny Soares Jr. said the Spartans have to win early, not after a play has already turned into a chunk gain.
“I think limiting explosives starts up front with us,” Soares said. “We just gotta be better getting to the quarterback.
We have opportunities, but we gotta finish. We had plenty of opportunities last game where we could've sacked the quarterback, we were in the right spot, we just gotta be able to get him on the ground, because if the quarterback can't throw the ball, then there's no explosives happening.
I think that starts with us in the front.”
After a return to college football that already included the revival of Michigan State’s historic rivalry with Notre Dame, Fitzgerald now faces another major test against one of the nation’s most explosive offenses through the first three weeks of the season.
“It’s a very impressive offense,” Fitzgerald said. “We've gotta tackle better, we've gotta block destruct better.
We're gonna need to win on the perimeter, they've got weapons on the outside, they'll get the ball out there into the perimeter probably more than anybody we've seen so far to this point. So we've got our hands full, there's no doubt.”
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