Michigan State football: 3 takeaways from shootout loss to USC

Late on Saturday, Michigan State football had its first conference and road test of the year. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they fell short of expectations, losing 45-31 in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The top-ranked Trojans’ offense scored at will against the Spartans, turning 70 percent of their drives into points.

Meanwhile, the Spartans sputtered on a few drives.

With the first loss of the season fresh in our minds, what can we learn from Saturday’s loss?

1. Injuries are piling up

Following last week’s Youngstown State contest, health was a major concern for the Spartans. The week three contest added three more Spartans out, with Brady Pretzlaff, Alante Brown, and Luka Vincic (season) all not making the trip to California.

During the game, the Spartans lost Jordan Hall to a targeting call, but that was the least of the concerns for players leaving the game for MSU. Quindarius Dunnigan and Nikai Martinez were each knocked out of the game on the same play, with friendly fire taking both seniors out minutes before halftime.

The next play was the scariest of the night, when Wayne Matthews III was injured and had to be carted off on a backboard. He was immediately transported to LA General Hospital, where his motor skills were intact, per an MSU spokesperson.

Offensively, the Spartans were not hit as hard, with the only early exit being Stanton Ramil. Granted, the starting left tackle going down in the first quarter and not returning is definitely a cause for concern.

2. Offense is… back?

Heading into today’s game, the expectations would be for the Spartans to get in a shootout with the USC defense also performing lackluster. However, in recent years, shootouts tend to be a struggle for the Spartans, with MSU falling flat on their face.

Saturday, however, Michigan State football made it a game. In the third quarter, the Spartans fell behind by 21 points. During the 2024 season, this was when Spartan fans braced for impact, with games tending to snowball. Against the Trojans, MSU came out swinging. MSU responded with their own touchdown after USC had a pair of mental errors, and then Armorion Smith punched the ball out on the first USC play after. Grady Kelly fell on it, and Aidan Chiles led a drive to the end zone capped by a Jack Velling touchdown.

Chiles also added a 75-yard touchdown to Omari Kelly late in the contest, bringing the Spartans within 14 points yet again. This offense did not give in.

3. Defense is running out of excuses

The Spartan defense did not show on Saturday, as mentioned above. The Spartans lost multiple stars on their squad, but even before injuries started piling up, the Trojans were gliding down the field.

Michigan State football only had three stops all game, with USC punting for the first time with 22 seconds left. Besides the Armorion Smith forced fumble, the biggest threat to the Trojan offense was their own lack of execution. USC finished with well over 200 rush yards.

Against Boston College, the excuse was Dylan Lonergan might be the best quarterback the Spartans play all season, and the Spartans held him to six points in the second half. Against Youngstown State, the excuse was communication breakdowns from a lack of familiarity with the defensive pairings. Saturday, the Spartans lost 3 stars to injury, along with being out another rotational linebacker. At some point, the defense has to step up in spite of adversity. Today, they could not.

What’s next?

The Spartans get a bye week to reassess, heal up, and then travel out to Nebraska. The time for the kickoff will be announced on Monday. If past trends say anything, plan for a night kick.