Michigan State dropped its second straight game Saturday, falling 31-13 to Nebraska at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans struggled to find offensive consistency, committed costly turnovers, and once again saw injuries become a significant storyline.
While the final score was disappointing, a few bright spots emerged in an otherwise frustrating afternoon.
Here is this week's Michigan State stock report.
Stock Up: Defensive Tackles
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Michigan State's defensive tackles were one of the few position groups that consistently held their own throughout the game.
While Nebraska finished with 157 rushing yards as a team, much of that production came on the perimeter or from quarterback scrambles rather than consistent dominance between the tackles. The Spartans' interior defensive line did a solid job absorbing blocks and preventing the Cornhuskers from taking over the line of scrimmage.
Eli Coenen and Ben Roberts continue to be Michigan State’s most consistent and competent duo. They provided early interior pressure, stifled the traditional run game, and frequently ate up blocks that gave their linebackers the opportunity to make plays.
Against a Nebraska offense that wanted to establish the run and control the clock, the interior defensive front gave Michigan State a chance to compete for much of the afternoon.
The final score may not reflect it, but this was one of the better performances from the defensive tackle room this season.
Stock Down: Alessio Milivojevic
Photo Credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated
This was a difficult afternoon for Alessio Milivojevic.
The sophomore quarterback completed 18 of 26 passes for 208 yards and had two turnovers while failing to lead the offense to a touchdown through the air. Nebraska consistently pressured him, and Michigan State struggled to generate explosive plays in the passing game. The result was an offense that often found itself playing behind schedule and struggling to sustain drives.
"That falls on me," said Milivojevic after the game. "I have to take leadership, I have to take control, and put the ball in the playmakers' hands and get the ball out faster."
Perhaps most damaging were the turnovers. Milivojevic lost a fumble and threw an interception, giving Nebraska additional possessions and making an already difficult matchup even tougher. Against quality Big Ten opponents, protecting the football is essential, and he simply didn't do that well enough on Saturday.
While the pressure that Milivojevic saw isn’t all his fault, for much of the night he appeared to uncomfortable under pressure. Michigan State will need its quarterback to perform better in the pocket moving forward if they want to find any offensive success.
This doesn't erase the progress Milivojevic has shown at times this season, but it was unquestionably a step backward.
Stock Down: Injuries
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At this point, injuries are becoming one of the biggest obstacles standing between Michigan State and reaching its potential.
The Spartans have already dealt with key absences throughout the season, and Saturday served as another reminder of how thin the margin for error can become when important contributors are unavailable.
Michigan State already entered the game without two of their top three cornerbacks and starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff. Over the course of the game they also lost their best offensive and defensive players in running back Cam Edwards and LB Jordan Hall to potentially serious injuries.
Fitzgerald didn't have any updates after the game on the severity of these injuries, but said that both players will go through further testing over the next couple of days.
This Spartan team simply does not have the depth to be able to absorb these kinds of losses, especially if they are long term.
Every team deals with injuries over the course of a season, but Michigan State is reaching a point where availability is becoming the major storyline. As the schedule continues to intensify, the Spartans need to get healthier if they hope to stay competitive in Big Ten play.
Stock Up: Jaziun Patterson
Photo Credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated
In the absence of Cam Edwards after the second drive of the game, I thought Jaz Patterson performed admirably. While his numbers might not seem like it, I thought he provided Michigan State with a little bit of a spark in the 2nd half.
Fitzgerald agreed.
"I thought Jaziun Patterson ran his tail off," said Fitzgerald after the game. "I thought he ran with some physicality and some violence."
With the Spartans struggling to generate much on the ground, Patterson was one of the few offensive players who consistently provided positive plays. He finished with 54 rushing yards and scored Michigan State's lone touchdown on the ground, showing good vision and decisiveness whenever he touched the football.
If the injury to Cam Edwards is indeed long term, Patterson will have to build off of this performance and give Michigan State consistent positive plays to keep the offense in manageable situations.
Stock Down: Cam Fancher
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A week after earning a 'stock up' designation following his performance against Notre Dame, Cam Fancher finds himself moving in the opposite direction.
Michigan State's backup quarterback package never found its rhythm against Nebraska. Fancher completed just one pass attempt and threw an interception on his only incompletion. He also lost 15 yards on the ground after being sacked, removing much of the rushing threat that has made him valuable through the season's first month.
The issue isn't necessarily that Fancher played a large role in the loss. Rather, Michigan State's change-of-pace package failed to provide the spark it had delivered in previous weeks.
When Fancher enters the game, the expectation is that he creates problems for opposing defenses. Against Nebraska, that simply never happened.
Stock Down: Special Teams
Photo Credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated
Special teams had been one of Michigan State's most reliable units through the opening weeks of the season. Saturday was a different story.
While Liam Boyd connected on field goals from 48 and 46 yards, Michigan State also had a third-quarter field goal attempt blocked which would have made it a one possession game. In a game where points were already difficult to come by, leaving scoring opportunities on the field proved costly.
The Spartans also failed to generate any significant momentum-changing plays in the return game, making it a largely forgettable afternoon for a unit that had previously been a strength.
Perhaps the most frustrating play from this unit was having a blocked punt wiped away in the first quarter due to a defensive holding penalty. With the Spartans leading 3-0, the special teams unit had the chance to give the ball to their offense deep in Nebraska territory. Instead, Nebraska capitalized a few plays later, taking a 7-3 lead.
For a team searching for every possible advantage, that represents a disappointing step backward.
Final Thoughts
Michigan State's loss to Nebraska exposed several issues that have surfaced throughout the past two weeks. Injuries continue to pile up, the quarterback position struggled to find consistency, and special teams failed to provide a spark. At the same time, there were still encouraging performances from the defensive tackles and Jaziun Patterson, both of whom the Spartans will need moving forward.
The challenge now is turning those positives into sustained success. With Big Ten play now underway, Michigan State can no longer afford to let injuries, turnovers, and missed opportunities dictate the outcome of games. The Spartans will need cleaner football across the board if they hope to get back in the win column.
