Michigan State’s trip to Pasadena brought little in the way of a reset, but it did produce a few clear risers and a few reminders of how rough this season has been. The Spartans fell 28-10 at No. 9 UCLA on Saturday afternoon to drop to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play, and with injuries piling up, there wasn’t much to celebrate beyond a handful of individual showings.
Devin Vaught was the biggest bright spot. The boundary-side safety came in as one of the few reliable pieces on this defense, already the team’s leading tackler through seven games, and he added to that reputation with a huge first half. Michigan State had only three takeaways before kickoff, one of them already Vaught’s interception, and he forced two more against UCLA.
His first takeaway was pure disruption, ripping the ball away from Anthony Woods and sprinting 56 yards with it to set up a Spartans touchdown. Later, he knocked the ball loose from Jaivian Thomas, and Nikai Martinez cleaned it up with another 56-yard return. Vaught’s afternoon ended on a sour note, though, after he left in the second half with what looked like a leg injury.
Martinez also gave Michigan State a lift. After a season that hasn’t matched his 2024 form or even his limited 2025 action, this was more like the version the Spartans have needed.
The fumble recovery and return stood out, even if there was room to wonder whether he should have finished the play for a touchdown after the offense handed the ball right back. He also looked sharper as a tackler throughout the game.
There was some late-life from backup quarterback Leo Hannan as well. Kayd Coffman made his first career start and showed a few encouraging flashes, but UCLA’s defense made life hard on him.
Hannan entered late in the third quarter and stayed involved into the fourth, eventually finishing as Michigan State’s leading passer with 9 completions on 15 attempts for 67 yards and an interception on an underthrown deep ball. He also guided a scoring drive that ended in a field goal in the final period and held up against a couple of Bruins blitzes.
Not everyone had that kind of day. Kenneth Williams found himself in a tough spot after Marvis Parrish went down almost immediately, leaving Michigan State without its top three running backs.
Williams did score the offense’s touchdown in the first half, but that looked more like a product of the design and UCLA’s mistake than a signature run. The rougher moments came early and often: he took a kickoff 4-5 yards deep in the end zone and was dragged down at the 15, then lost a fumble in the second quarter inside MSU’s own red zone, a mistake that led directly to seven UCLA points.
Rakeem Johnson also struggled on the line. Michigan State kept moving him between left and right tackle, and he has shown better football than he did in this game. The Spartans needed their offensive tackles to be close to perfect with Coffman making his first start, but that didn’t happen, even with Ben Murawski back after missing last week against Northwestern.
The bigger story remains the damage done by the injuries. Michigan State lost Parrish, offensive guard Nick Sharpe, star defensive tackle Ben Roberts, and Vaught during the game, and the team is clearly hitting its bye week at the right time. No program can realistically absorb that many losses and keep functioning normally, and this one has been hit especially hard.
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Michigan State Let A Statement Win Slip In Top 10 Showdown
Michigan State had a chance to turn its Breast Cancer Awareness game at DeMartin Stadium into a statement win, and for a stretch it looked like the No. 6 Spartans might do just that. Andrew Darakdjian gave Michigan State the early edge against No. 7 Washington, setting up a top-10 showdown that carried plenty of weight in the Big Ten race and a little extra energy with the home crowd behind it.
But Washington answered with a Zach Ramsey goal to level the match, and Michigan State had to settle for a 1-1 draw in a game that could have given it a bigger boost. Even so, the Spartans remain tied for first in the conference standings, with another stretch of chances ahead against Green Bay and Rutgers as they keep pushing through the season. [Read more 🡒]
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Spartans Drop First Game Despite One Bright Sign In Net
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The rest of the box score told a tougher story for the Spartans, who were outshot 34-14 and could not generate enough at the other end to break through. Their penalty kill did its job, but a third-period power play goal proved decisive, and Michigan State left with a loss despite one encouraging sign in net. [Read more 🡒]