3 Winners, 8 Losers as Michigan State Football Falls Flat Vs. Nebraska

On Saturday, Michigan State football started their Big Ten slate with a matchup against Nebraska. The Spartans got to see their first team that was estimated to be around a similar skill level as them, marking it as a benchmark for the team.

Unfortunately, Pat Fitzgerald’s team fell flat, with the Spartans falling behind early and turnovers knocking the Spartans down, ending with a 31-13 loss to the Cornhuskers.

Here is who won or lost on Saturday.

Winners

RB Jaziun Patterson

Patterson was relied upon with Cam Edwards suffering a serious knee injury in the first quarter. The transfer from Iowa came up with nearly 60 yards on the ground, with his last few rushes being some of his best. Patterson showed wiggle and burst, and is going to be relied upon in a massive role in 2026 with Edwards likely out.

WR Chrishon McCray

McCray finally saw more than a pair of targets for the first time since the Toledo game, and the senior wide receiver led the team with 47 receiving yards including a spectacular one-handed catch in the second half. If the Spartans want to right the ship, getting the ball to No. 13 has to be a priority.

CB Andrew Brinson IV

Brinson IV was relied upon after a rash of injuries hit the cornerback room, as Keshawn Williams, Tre Bell, NiJhay Burt, and Tyran Chappell all suffered injuries in the week prior or during the Nebraska contest.

Brinson was solid in his first game action since November 2024, after missing all of 2025 with injury and not making an appearance in the first three games.

Losers

QB Cam Fancher

Fancher saw his typical redzone action to start on Saturday, but the offense stalled out after a first and was forced into a field goal. Then, with Alessio Milivojevic struggling, the staff elected to send out Fancher for a drive on his own side of the field.

Fancher promptly threw an interception directly at a Nebraska corner and the Spartans found themselves down 17-3. The senior quarterback did not play the rest of the game.

QB Alessio Milivojevic

Milivojevic had a brutal outing to the Cornhuskers. The third-year quarterback was inaccurate to start the game, bouncing passes and throwing some risky passes that nearly got intercepted.

The Illinois native struggled with his reads and processing, taking five sacks, some of which fell on his line or receivers. It was a bad game for the offensive unit, with all parties failing to create successful situations. Milivojevic had two fumbles when he was sacked, with one being a takeaway on a defensive back blitz. The quarterback was also intercepted on an out route where he both stared down freshman receiver Samson Gash and the freshman did not work his way back to the ball.

DB Evan Young

Young is a special teams mainstay, but his game on Saturday was the tip of the iceberg for brutal calls that hampered the Spartans on top of their lack of execution.

Young had an inexplicable hold on a punt return play after the defense forced a three-and-out. The punt was blocked, but the Texas native throwing his player to the ground gave Nebraska the ball back and later the lead, one which they never relinquished.

LB Caleb Wheatland

Wheatland led the team in tackles, but this came from the senior backer being beat in coverage or a step late. The defender was picked apart in coverage and was cleaning plays up downfield instead of taking the tackles towards the Huskers.

IOL Rustin Young

With injuries taking a hold of the offensive line, Young got some run at left guard. The Hawaiian was flagged on his first snap at left guard for a hold, and was limited to only four reps at the spot on the day after that penalty.

S Devin Vaught

The safety had his typical strong run defense, but was picked on in pass coverage, with the fourth-year defensive back getting burnt by attacking inside on a deep post route. Vaught was lost in coverage, and it was a huge play that led to Nebraska momentum that never shifted back to MSU.

CB Charles Brantley

Brantley was needed this week with the corner room suffering multiple injuries, but he did not come up large. He was burnt on the post touchdown alongside Vaught, penalized twice (once was not necessarily on him, but shoddy referee behavior), and then burnt for a deep gain of 38 yards in the fourth quarter. Brantley has proven film of being overaggressive on double moves, and the opposition has noticed.

The Spartan defensive back will likely have a major role in upcoming weeks. It is not the homecoming to MSU that he wanted, and there is not much time to turn things around.

EDGE Kenny Soares Jr.

Soares was responsible for another game-changing Spartan penalty, as the captain was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct after hitting a Nebraska player in the groin after Mikeshun Beeler deflected a pass to set up 3^rd-and-14.

Considering that the Spartan team was talked to by Pat Fitzgerald after some post-whistle antics against Eastern Michigan, to see these issues pop up two weeks later is concerning.