Michigan State spent most of Saturday night fighting itself, and Nebraska made sure the Spartans paid for it.
A home Big Ten opener that briefly flickered with life - most notably on Chrishon McCray’s one-handed grab over the middle - quickly unraveled into a 31-13 loss at Spartan Stadium. By the end, the crowd had thinned to scattered pockets of red as Michigan State absorbed a rough night of penalties, turnovers, sacks and injuries in Pat Fitzgerald’s first conference game as head coach.
The Spartans were already trailing when McCray delivered the flash play that got the building buzzing. Two snaps later, Alessio Milivojevic was strip-sacked, and the moment was gone. Michigan State never found a real offensive rhythm after that, finishing with just 257 yards and only three points after halftime.
Nebraska, meanwhile, kept stacking advantages. The Cornhuskers rolled up 369 yards, got 212 passing yards from transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea and forced three turnovers while also collecting six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. It was Nebraska’s first road game and first Power 4 opponent, and the Huskers handled it by controlling the game in all the ways that matter.
Michigan State’s injury list grew ugly along the way. Running back Cam Edwards and linebacker Jordan Hall both went down, with Hall - a two-time captain and senior linebacker - needing help off the field after the first play of the third quarter. For a team already struggling to stay on schedule, losing key players on both sides only made the climb steeper.
The Spartans actually struck first. After Edwards turned a screen into a 23-yard gain to push the ball across midfield, Liam Boyd knocked through a 48-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. But Nebraska answered on four straight first-half possessions after MSU opened with a stop, and each of those drives came with help from Spartan mistakes.
The first turning point came when Michigan State appeared to block Archie Wilson’s punt, only for a holding call to wipe it out. Nebraska kept the drive alive and finished with Colandrea’s 44-yard touchdown throw to Kwazi Gilmer. On the next possession, Colandrea picked up 17 yards on a scramble and then 15 more after Charles Brantley was flagged for a late hit, setting up Mekhi Nelson’s 4-yard touchdown run.
A Cam Fancher interception led to a 32-yard Kyle Cunanan field goal, and then an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on rush end Kenny Soares handed Nebraska 15 more yards on the drive that ended with Colandrea finding Vincent Genatone for a 13-yard touchdown. That made it 24-10 with two seconds left in the half, after Michigan State had finally answered with Jaziun Patterson’s 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Patterson was one of the few bright spots for the Spartans. He carried seven times on the touchdown drive and later helped produce another Boyd field goal, this one from 46 yards, to pull MSU within 24-13 early in the third quarter.
But every time Michigan State seemed ready to build something, Nebraska took it back. After McCray’s 21-yard catch-and-run, Milivojevic lost the ball on a strip-sack, and Nebraska took over at the MSU 39. The Spartan defense held on a fourth-and-1 stop, but the offense could not cash in, missing a 52-yard field goal attempt and heading to the fourth quarter still down 24-13.
Nebraska then put the game away with a 6:22 march that ended in Genatone’s second touchdown of the day, a 1-yard plunge for a 31-13 lead with 10:05 left.
Michigan State had one more chance to make things interesting, driving to the Nebraska 18 before Milivojevic threw an interception right to Andrew Marshall on a pass intended for freshman receiver Samson Gash. Nebraska later reached the red zone again before an incomplete pass on fourth down handed the ball back to MSU with 1:06 remaining.
The Spartans now head to Wisconsin next week for their first road conference game.
In Other News...
Michigan State Now Faces A Bigger Problem Than The Nebraska Loss
The Nebraska loss itself was ugly enough for Michigan State, but the bigger concern coming out of Lincoln was the damage done to the roster. The Spartans were already thin in key spots, and the injury situation started before kickoff when starting cornerback Tre Bell was hurt in warmups and never made it into the game.
It only got worse from there. Running back Cam Edwards and offensive lineman Connor Moore went down on the same play, and defensive leader Jordan Hall also left with a leg injury after being taken off the field on a cart, leaving Michigan State with plenty to sort through beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces A Bigger Offensive Problem Than Fans Feared
Michigan States offense has looked increasingly out of sync over the last few games, and the numbers underline just how much work remains. Through four games, the Spartans have managed only 88 points and nine touchdowns, both among the lowest marks in the Big Ten, while quarterback Alessio Milivojevic has been dealing with plenty of pressure, sacks and interceptions as the unit struggles to find any sort of rhythm.
The bigger concern is that the problems have not been limited to execution. Injuries have already thinned out the group and left the staff trying to patch together answers on the fly, with the offensive line and backfield both taking hits that make every snap feel a little more fragile. Michigan State is still searching for stability, but the margin for error keeps shrinking as the offense tries to get healthy enough to even resemble what it was supposed to be. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Faces A Depth Chart Test Against Wisconsin
Michigan State left its trip to Nebraska with more than one injury concern, and the timing could not be worse with Wisconsin next on the schedule. Running back Cam Edwards and linebacker Jordan Hall were among the players hurt in the game, leaving the Spartans to sort through a depth chart that may look different by the time they line up again.
The backfield is especially worth watching because backup Jaziun Patterson handled relief work well after Edwards exited, and the staff is already leaning on him as it prepares for the next matchup. The bigger question now is how Michigan State will piece together its roster across the board if the injury list forces more changes, with the full extent of those setbacks still unclear. [Read more 🡒]