The biggest swing factor for Michigan State on Saturday sits right in UCLA’s backfield.
At No. 9 UCLA, the Spartans are staring at a run game that has powered the Bruins into CFP contention. UCLA is averaging 231.0 rushing yards per game, good for 12th nationally and first in the Big Ten, and Michigan State’s defense is the unit that has to try to slow it down.
Spartans defensive coordinator Joe Rossi made it clear Wednesday that the challenge starts with the Bruins’ trio of backs.
"I think their backs are very good," Rossi said Wednesday. "They have three of them that they play.
They can hit home-run balls, but they can also... if there's nothing there, they'll get three when it might have been zero. Or they'll get four when it might have been one, and it keeps the change moving."
"But then they also do a great job of bouncing and taking it the distance. So they are kind of the three-headed monster, so to speak."
Wayne Knight is the headliner. The back came over with new head coach Bob Chesney from James Madison and has wasted no time making himself at home in the Big Ten. He has 578 rushing yards and a conference-best 11 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
Knight has found the end zone in every game this season. He’s coming off a 23-yard outing against Wisconsin, but before that he had topped 100 rushing yards in three straight games, including 103 at Oregon. He also has five carries of at least 30 yards in 2026 and 10 runs of 15 yards or more.
Anthony Woods gives UCLA another dangerous option. He was retained by Chesney from last season’s 3-9 team that beat Michigan State soundly in Spartan Stadium, and he has already surpassed his 2025 production.
Woods has 347 rushing yards after finishing last year with 294, and he’s scored five touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He’s also turned 40.7% of his carries into either a first down or a touchdown.
The third piece is Jaivian Thomas, a former Cal transfer who stayed on with the Bruins from 2025 to 2026. Thomas has 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Michigan State’s problem isn’t just who it’s facing. It’s how the defense has handled space lately. Open-field tackling has been a sore spot, especially on the perimeter, and PFF says the Spartans have missed 31 tackles over their last two games - 16 against Illinois and 15 against Northwestern.
That’s the kind of weakness UCLA can punish fast.
"Trust me, it gets coached and drilled every single day, and we doubled down on it again this week..." Rossi said.
"We want to keep it underneath in the 8-9 area, not be up in the 15 area. But most of those, to me, came out on the perimeter, and we've got to do a better job."
In Other News...
Michigan State Heads To UCLA With A Sudden QB Problem
Michigan State heads into its trip to UCLA with an unexpected twist at the most important position on the field, as starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is listed as questionable because of an unspecified injury. The Spartans were already navigating a tricky road spot, and now the uncertainty at quarterback adds another layer to a game that had enough moving parts on its own.
Cam Fancher is also out, which leaves Michigan State in a bind if Milivojevic cannot go. That could push true freshman Kayd Coffman or second-year quarterback Leo Hannan into the spotlight, and Coffman in particular brings intrigue after arriving as a highly rated member of the 2026 class despite limited game experience. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Heads To UCLA With A Huge Offensive Concern
Michigan State heads into its trip to UCLA dealing with a familiar kind of midseason uncertainty, and this one starts on offense. Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and running back Jaziun Patterson are both listed as questionable, leaving the Spartans to sort through key decisions at the game's most important position and in the backfield before taking the field.
The injury report does not stop there. Linebacker Jordan Hall and cornerbacks Tre Bell, Tyran Chappell and Charles Brantley are among the other Spartans who are either out or questionable, adding to the challenge of matching up on the road. UCLA has its own issues, including the season-ending loss of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, but Michigan State still has to figure out how much of its offensive plan it can count on before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Heads To UCLA With Its Offense Suddenly In Doubt
Michigan State heads west for a matchup with UCLA carrying more uncertainty than it expected, and the biggest question sits right at the heart of the offense. Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and running back Jaziun Patterson are both listed as questionable, leaving the Spartans to navigate the kind of pregame uncertainty that can change how a staff plans the entire trip.
The injury report also leaves room for concern elsewhere, with left tackle Ben Murawski and linebacker Brady Pretzlaff among the players listed as questionable, while several others on both sides of the ball have already been ruled out. Michigan State is set to keep releasing updated injury reports leading up to the game, so the picture could still shift before kickoff, but for now the Spartans are walking into this one with a lot still unsettled. [Read more 🡒]