EAST LANSING- Michigan State received its first loss of the season against Big Ten opponent USC two weeks ago. Following a bye week, MSU resumes conference play at Nebraska this weekend.
Against USC, the Spartans were plagued with injuries and with the late start time, the Green and White could not pull off an upset victory over the Trojans.
MSU’s defense had wavered going into this matchup, and worries escalated after it allowed USC redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava to go 20-26, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan State gave up 45 points to USC, and despite efforts from senior wide receiver Omari Kelly, junior tight end Jack Velling, redshirt junior wide receiver Chrishon McCray, and junior quarterback Aidan Chiles, the squad could not keep up with the west coast opponent.
The MSU offense competed without a fully healthy sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh, who suffered a lower body injury in week three. Although Marsh did play against USC, he finished with only two receptions for 28-yards.
Coming off the bye week, fans are hopeful to have Marsh back at full health, whose performance will be a deciding factor against Big Ten opponent Nebraska.
Even if Marsh is not at 100 percent, the Spartan offense has proven that it can operate on all sides, with multiple talents able to connect with Chiles.
The defense, however, will need to be at its very best, despite all the injuries, to pressure Nebraska sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola and limit his airtime.
The Cornhuskers are relatively equal to Michigan State, in that they are both 3-1 with a conference loss thus far.
Nebraska is coming off a 30-27 loss against No. 20 Michigan, where Raiola threw for over 300 yards for the second time this season, with three touchdowns.
Dating back to the 2003 Alamo Bowl, the Spartans are 4-9 in matchups against the Cornhuskers. Since the start of the matchup in 1914, MSU has only taken one in Lincoln, a 41-28 victory in 2013.
Both MSU and Nebraska search for its first conference victory on Saturday.
Scouting Nebraska
Sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola has 1,137 passing yards on the season with 11 touchdowns. Against Michigan, Raiola was sacked seven times for a loss of 49 yards.
The offensive line has been a weak spot for the Cornhuskers this season who had a difficult time establishing anything on the ground against the Wolverines.
Nebraska averaged 1.4 yards per carry against Michigan and ranks No.86 in the nation in rushing yards with 144.8 per game.
The Spartan run defense has dropped significantly in the national rankings since game one against Western Michigan, but remains in the top 50, currently at number 47.
Junior running back Emmet Johnson ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 391 rushing yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Against Michigan, Johnson had 67 yards on 19 attempts.
Sophomore wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. has 21 receptions for 301 yards this season, averaging 14.3 yards per catch. Barney Jr. had six receptions for 120 yards against Michigan, averaging 20 per catch.
On defense, senior linebacker Javin Wright ties the team lead in tackles with 17. 10 of his tackles this season were against Michigan.
Senior defensive back DeShon Singleton and freshman defensive back Rex Guthrie also have 17 tackles this season, and freshman defensive back Donovan Jones leads the team in solo tackles with 10.
Sophomore kicker Kyle Cunanan has an 85.7 percent field goal rate on the season, going 6-7 on anything inside the 40-yard line.
The Spartans travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers this Saturday at 4 p.m. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Jacob Maurer and Kyle Keegan locally on 88.9 FM or at https://impact89fm.org/
