SHEEHAN: Michigan State’s loss to Nebraska was a nightmare – and the injuries could make it worse
The officiating had an outsized impact on the result as well
Michigan State lost to Nebraska, 31-13, and I am not going to pretend this was merely another disappointing Saturday in the first year of a rebuild.
This was a nightmare.
It was a nightmare because Michigan State’s offense looked incapable of functioning for long stretches. It was a nightmare because Cam Edwards and Jordan Hall left with injuries. It was a nightmare because a defense already missing several starters watched its available depth shrink again. And, yes, it was a nightmare because nearly every consequential officiating decision went Nebraska’s way.
Pat Fitzgerald identified this four-game stretch as an important one, and it began with an opportunity to beat Nebraska at home. A victory would have created some legitimate momentum for Fitzgerald in his first season. Even a close loss could have been understood. Nebraska was favored, Michigan State is rebuilding, and nobody should have expected every problem to be solved within the first four games of the season.
But I did not expect it to look like this...
