Michigan State heads into its Big Ten opener with one major defensive piece missing, but another key name trending in the right direction.
Brady Pretzlaff has been ruled out for Saturday against Nebraska, while running back Cam Edwards is expected to be available after leaving last week’s game against Notre Dame early. The latest Big Ten availability reports delivered the split update, and it gives both sides a little more clarity before kickoff.
Pretzlaff’s absence stings for a Michigan State defense that has leaned on him early. In three games, the junior linebacker has piled up 17 tackles, just one behind team leader Devin Vaught, who has 18.
PFF has also been high on his play, giving him a 75.4 overall grade and a 76.5 mark in pass coverage. That makes his loss especially noticeable against a Nebraska offense trying to get ready for its toughest test of the season.
There’s also an unfortunate pattern attached to Pretzlaff’s injury. He was injured in the first three games of last season as well, then suffered a season-ending setback in Week 3 against Youngstown State. There’s no indication yet that he’ll miss the rest of this season, but the timing is eerily similar.
Michigan State’s offense, meanwhile, should have Edwards back in the mix, and that matters. The Spartans have had stretches where points were hard to come by, including a 10-point outing last week, so getting their lead back back on the field is a welcome development.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald didn’t offer much detail Monday when asked about Edwards’ status, saying the point of the availability report was to answer questions like that. Edwards was not listed on either report earlier in the week, which points to him being “full go.”
The numbers tell you how central he’s been. Edwards leads Michigan State in rushing with 60 carries for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and no other Spartan running back is anywhere close - he has four times as many carries as anyone else at the position. He’s also added 3 catches for 12 yards.
His biggest game came against Eastern Michigan, when he handled 21 carries for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. Last week against Notre Dame, he was held to 12 carries for 38 yards before exiting.
Edwards arrived in East Lansing after four seasons at UCONN, and his 2025 season there was the best of his career. He ran for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. That average has dipped by nearly a full yard this season.
Nebraska, for its part, has some injury questions of its own after last week’s game against North Dakota. Safety Rex Guthrie was downgraded from healthy to doubtful on Thursday’s availability report, and the Huskers are also dealing with another player who had his first reception of the season against the Fighting Hawks before leaving with a leg injury.
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