3 takeaways from an ugly Michigan State football loss to Nebraska

Michigan State football came to Lincoln on a mission, but it fumbled away a chance to steal a win at Nebraska.

On Saturday, Michigan State football entered Memorial Stadium on a mission. The Spartans were looking to steal a win following a bye week. With the injury report ruling starting defensive backs Ade Willie and Nikai Martinez, the job was made even tougher. However, following a slow start to the game, the Cornhuskers pulled away late, winning 38-27.

Here is what we can learn from this loss.

1. Michigan State football beat itself

The Spartans shot themselves in the foot, over and over on Saturday. Aidan Chiles took a hit early, and seemingly regressed to his 2024 self. After his injury, he had less than five throws be on target the rest of the game.

Worse yet, this was not just deep shots. Dump offs to Makhi Frazier, Chrishon McCray, Brennan Parachek were all off kilter. Aidan Chiles was at his deadliest when running, and he added a pair of third quarter rushing touchdowns to draw even.

Special teams were off today. A blocked punt resulted in six for the Huskers, and then MSU fumbled a kick return for Nebraska to get a field goal. Aidan Chiles threw two interceptions in the second quarter when his team was within 20 yards of the midfield line.

This was self-inflicted injury galore. It was not a fun watch live.

2. Defense shows a pulse

On paper, this looks like a bad day for the defense. The defense gave up 31 points. However, Michigan State football had a season-high five sacks, and shut the Nebraska offense down after the first drive in the first half.

Dylan Raiola was uncomfortable in the pocket, with David Santiago, Malik Spencer, Alex VanSumeren, Darius Snow, and Jalen Thompson all bringing him down. Cam Williams also pressured Raiola and deflected the ball.

However, the battered secondary eventually gave way in the third quarter. However, the Spartans had six consecutive stopped drives against Nebraska, following a USC matchup where they recorded three stops total. This is progress.

3. An inexcusable coaching error

My biggest point of frustration for this entire game comes down to the tackle situation. Michigan State football had plenty of player errors on Saturday, but the coaching staff shot themselves in the foot, too.

The Spartans elected to roll with Conner Moore at left tackle, and Ashton Lepo got his first start of the year at right tackle. Neither played well. Fresh off of a respectable 51-snap performance against USC, Smith and line coach Jim Michalczik threw redshirt freshman Rustin Young on the bench.

Ashton Lepo allowed an early sack, whiffed blocks in the run game, and added a 15-yard penalty to boot. He was a one-man wrecking crew to the Spartans’ first-half drives.

Moore’s left tackle endeavors did not go great, either. He had multiple bad blocks and plays, including a fourth down play where a bad block sent Aidan Chiles crashing to the turf and ended any Spartan hopes.

Frankly, it was inexcusable. It was disgusting football, and anyone watching could tell you the redshirt junior tackle duo were not playing great. Young came in for a few drives, and held up well. However, the drives failed for other reasons, and the team threw Lepo back in. Moore proceeded to allow the fourth down sack.

Post-game, Smith said the tackles did not appear to be an issue. I truly hope film shows him the error of his ways. This. Was. Ugly.

The Spartans are back in action next week for a homecoming matchup against UCLA. The Bruins upset No. 7 Penn State this week, 42-37. If the Spartans cannot figure out their own mistakes, it could be a long game next Saturday. The game kicks off at noon EST on Big Ten Network.