3 Takeaways After Brutal 31-3 Michigan State Football Loss to Wisconsin

On Saturday, Michigan State football squared off against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Spartans looked to rebound after a 31-13 loss to Nebraska. Things were against the Spartans from the beginning, with their best offensive (Cam Edwards) and defensive (Jordan Hall) players being ruled out for the contest.

The game was rough to watch. The Spartans could not stop Colton Joseph, through the air or through the ground. With Badger starting running back Abu Sama II out, the Spartans still surrendered 200 yards on the ground.

Here are three takeaways from the contest.

The Wide Receiver Room Needs Adjustments

The last three games have proven that the receiver room needs tweaking. The Spartans have seen their receivers create little separation in all five games this year, and Saturday was another case of the same product.

Chrishon McCray, Rod Bullard, and Fredrick Moore each have shown flashes, but also have had games where they are completely blanketed. There is not an alpha among those three pass catchers. None of the three upperclassmen have earned a starting role with 7 games left.

Charles Taplin II led the team in receiving yards against Eastern Michigan, including a jolt of energy with a 38-yard touchdown. Braylon Collier took two passes for 22 yards on the final drive of the game, and has been in position for two big gains in his limited snaps. Samson Gash is a speed threat, as evidenced by his record 100m time. The youth movement deserves a chance over hoping for different results with the same trio each week.

Linebacker Room Is Lost Without Hall

It was a given that there would be a drop off with Jordan Hall not suiting up for Saturday’s game, but the Wisconsin game truly exposed it. Coverage was not great, containment was non-existent, and tackling was suspect. Brady Pretzlaff did not have the same impact he had when Hall was on the field.

The linebacker room was viewed as a strong spot of the defense, but without Hall, the scheme knowledge is lacking. Until Hall returns to the lineup, it is hard to forecast many meaningful stops for this defense as things stand.

Worse yet for the Spartans, the linebacker room without Hall is not among the top position groups with concerns.

Time For Soul-Searching

Last week, the Spartans came out flat and lost to Nebraska 31-13. The Spartans sat at a crossroad. They had the chance to come out motivated and learn from how the 2022-2025 seasons unraveled, or fall back into the ‘here it goes again’ mentality.

Saturday, the Spartans showed fight to begin. A brutal break for Kenny Soares Jr. not quite getting an interception led to a Wisconsin touchdown. Alessio Milivojevic got the ball past midfield. However, the Spartans folded. That folding became a theme as the Spartans failed five fourth down attempts.

On field, there was not a sense that the Spartans could dig out of a deficit when the hole was 14-0. There was not any sense of a new half to win after being down two scores at half. Simply put, the team came out flat, and got “a thorough ass kicking,” in the words of Pat Fitzgerald.

The road does not get easier for the Spartans. However, if they do not learn from the mistakes of past teams, it will be just as unpalatable as the 2025 season was. With basketball and hockey starting up, the fan base is reaching their own choice of which team to spend their money on.

Pat Fitzgerald said he could not do more than ask for the fans to show up and thank them for their support when asked for his message, and that mantra might be brought back in upcoming press conferences sooner rather than later.