Michigan State’s first Big Ten availability report for Saturday’s game against Nebraska put a few familiar names in focus, with linebacker Brady Pretzlaff and cornerback Tyran Chappell drawing the most attention.
Under the conference’s new injury reporting setup, teams now have to disclose player statuses at 8 p.m. ET on each of the three days before a game, then again two hours before kickoff on gameday. Players are tagged as out, doubtful, questionable or probable, and Wednesday’s first report gave the early picture for both sides.
For Michigan State, the list included S Eliyjah Caldwell, FB Jay Coyne, LB Brady Pretzlaff, OL Eli Bickel, OL Tristan Comer and TE Joey Caudill. Nebraska’s report featured DB Kahmir Prescott, TE Carter Nelson, DB Tanner Terch, LB Gage Stenger, LB Jase Reynolds, LB Jacob Bower and DL Gabe Moore.
Pretzlaff’s absence stands out most for the Spartans. The starting linebacker has been one of the more encouraging developments on the roster this season, winning a job that few expected him to claim and backing it up through the first 2.5 games.
He left the Notre Dame game with what appeared to be a concussion, though the team has not publicly labeled the injury. Pretzlaff also missed much of last season because of a shoulder injury.
If he can’t go, Caleb Wheatland and Dion Crawford are the most likely candidates to pick up more snaps.
Chappell’s situation is just as important to watch over the next two days. He was listed as questionable, and Michigan State still has Thursday’s and Friday’s reports to update before Saturday.
Chappell has been a steady presence at boundary corner for a secondary that has already given up its share of big plays. According to PFF, he has allowed only two catches on three targets for 12 yards over 53 coverage snaps this season.
If he’s unavailable, NiJhay Burt would be in line for a larger role.
A few other Spartan names are worth keeping on the radar. KK Smith, Jay Coyne and Cal Thrush all showed up on the report as well.
Smith, the Notre Dame transfer, has been trying to carve out more playing time at wide receiver and has one catch for 10 yards. Coyne and Thrush both contribute on special teams.
Thrush’s questionable tag suggests his issue may not be overly serious, while Coyne’s left leg injury from last week looked much more severe, possibly season-ending.
Nebraska’s report was lighter on players with current game experience this season. Only Carter Nelson and Jordan Ochoa fit that description, with Nelson listed as out and Ochoa questionable.
Nelson has 13 career catches for 103 yards and one touchdown, and he has one catch for six yards across three appearances this year. Ochoa, a third-year Cornhusker, played 12 defensive snaps in Nebraska’s games against Ohio in Week 1 and Bowling Green in Week 2.
Gabe Moore also appeared on the report, though he logged 145 defensive snaps for Nebraska last season.
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Cam Fancher, Ben Murawski, Rakeem Johnson, Rodney Bullard and Kai Rios all landed in that group, which should give fans something to chew on as they sort through where the offense is actually headed. The debate now is less about what went wrong in South Bend and more about which pieces looked usable against a defense as good as Notre Dames, especially with the line play and quarterback performance drawing the most scrutiny from a fan base looking for answers. [Read more 🡒]