Columnist's report card: Michigan State falls 31-13 to Nebraska
The short version
- Michigan State lost to Nebraska 31-13 on Saturday.
- Couch graded offense 3, defense 4, special teams 5 and coaching 4.
- Both MSU quarterbacks threw interceptions; Milivojevic was sacked five times.
- A blocked punt was negated by a holding penalty on Evan Young.
- MSU has gone two straight weeks without a sack or a takeaway.
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch handed the Spartans low marks on offense, defense and coaching after Saturday's 31-13 loss to Nebraska.
Michigan State dropped a 31-13 decision to Nebraska at home on Saturday, and longtime Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch graded the Spartans' performance on his usual 1-10 scale across offense, defense, special teams and coaching.
The offense received a 3. Couch wrote that a touchdown drive before halftime, built around a faster tempo, and three other possessions deep into Nebraska territory gave the unit something to build on. Michigan State also matched Nebraska with 22 first downs. Even so, he judged 13 points a fair reflection of a mostly difficult afternoon for the group.
Turnovers and pass protection were central problems. Both Michigan State quarterbacks, Alessio Milivojevic and Cam Fancher, threw interceptions Couch described as poorly thrown. Milivojevic was sacked five times, with a couple attributable to him as much as the offensive line, and Fancher took a 15-yard sack under immediate pressure that Couch said he could not absorb.
The ground game offered encouragement. Even after running back Cam Edwards left with an injury, Jaziun Patterson carried 16 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. Couch argued Michigan State will need that level of running going forward, along with sharper offensive play from the opening whistle and on Nebraska's side of the field.
The defense earned a 4. Couch saw the defensive front as a genuine strength and the healthiest unit on the roster, noting the Spartans contained Nebraska's running backs and held firm at the point of attack. Huskers quarterback Anthony Colandrea did his damage once he escaped the pocket with his legs.
Missed opportunities hurt the defense's grade. Michigan State failed to record a sack or a turnover for the second consecutive week, though it did get a fourth-down stop while the outcome was still in question. A personal foul on Kenny Soares for striking a Nebraska player in the groin extended a drive just as the Spartans appeared set to get off the field. Couch called it a far less disciplined showing than the first three games, but not the reason Michigan State trailed big in the fourth quarter.
Special teams received a 5, the highest mark of the day, despite what Couch viewed as the season's first costly blunder in that phase. Michigan State blocked a first-quarter punt that would have set up possession deep in Nebraska territory with a chance to lead 10-0, but the play was wiped out by a holding penalty on Evan Young. Nebraska then drove for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead it never relinquished.
Away from that play, the kicking units performed well. Rhys Dakin struck two punts of roughly 50 yards, Liam Boyd connected from 48 and 46 yards before having a 52-yard attempt blocked, and Kenneth Williams, facing his former team, broke a 23-yard kick return. Coaching drew a 4, with Couch writing that coordinator Nick Sheridan's offense came out slow and needed the late-half uptempo push to move the ball, something he considers unsustainable for a full game.
In his bottom line, Couch wrote that a schedule that once looked manageable now appears difficult over the coming weeks for a team losing key players at an alarming rate and lacking enough advantages to win without favorable bounces. He noted Michigan State caught no breaks against Nebraska, even though the team kept fighting to the end.
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