Michigan State Falls 31-13 to Nebraska as Injuries Mount
The short version
- Michigan State lost to Nebraska 31-13 at Spartan Stadium in Week 4.
- Running back Cam Edwards left with a right knee injury in the first quarter and watched the second half on crutches.
- Michigan State was missing cornerbacks Tyran Chappell, Tre Bell and NiJhay Burt by the end of the game, and Jordan Hall exited with an apparent ankle injury.
- Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was sacked six times and finished with one interception and two fumbles.
- Michigan State has lost the turnover battle 2-0 in consecutive games against Notre Dame and Nebraska.
Michigan State lost running back Cam Edwards to a knee injury and saw its cornerback depth decimated in a 31-13 home defeat to Nebraska in Week 4.
Michigan State dropped a 31-13 decision to Nebraska on Saturday evening at Spartan Stadium in Week 4, a loss that columnist Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal described as erasing the momentum the Spartans had built and much of the promise for their season.
The turning point came in the first quarter, when running back Cam Edwards took a hit to his right knee with 9:41 remaining after a 23-yard gain on a screen pass. Edwards was carted from the injury tent and returned in the second half on crutches. Couch wrote that Edwards did not look like someone who would play football in the coming weeks.
Edwards, an Iowa transfer, had been Michigan State's best offensive playmaker through the first three games and the opening moments of Week 4, and Couch called him the gem of the Spartans' transfer portal class and the team's best chance at a difference-maker at running back. Jaziun Patterson carried some of the load in his place with several strong runs behind an offensive line that improved as the game went along.
The injury problems extended to the secondary. Michigan State entered the game without cornerback Tyran Chappell, lost Tre Bell during warmups, and then lost NiJhay Burt during the game. Linebacker or defensive back Jordan Hall exited in the third quarter with what appeared to be an ankle injury and also needed a ride to the locker room. Couch wrote that without Edwards, Hall and the top three cornerbacks, the Spartans are likely in trouble if they are shorthanded for any length of time.
Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic finished 18-for-26 for 208 yards with one interception, two fumbles and no touchdowns, and Couch argued his struggles were worse than the numbers indicated. Nebraska sacked Milivojevic five times, with Cam Fancher adding another sack, and the quarterback rarely had a clean pocket. Couch wrote that the offensive line must pass protect better going forward or the team would not win two more games.
Cornerback Charles Brantley provided a bright spot, forcing one fumble that went out of bounds and breaking up a pass on an important third down, in what Couch called some of his best play since his one-handed interception against Michigan in 2021. The defense also recorded a fourth-down stop while the game was still in doubt.
Michigan State lost the turnover battle 2-0 against Nebraska after the same margin against Notre Dame, and the defense has not created a turnover since Brantley forced a fumble against Eastern Michigan. Couch wrote that the Spartans are not talented enough to win without at least breaking even in turnovers.
Couch noted that no one would question the Spartans' fight, which he said has shown up in ways it had not in recent years, but that effort alone only means so much. He wrote that while there is a lot of season left and winnable games remain on the schedule, Saturday's result and the injury toll made it harder to imagine Michigan State winning those games.
Games to watch
