EAST LANSING– Michigan State football returns to Spartan Stadium after a three-week hiatus in desperate need of victory. Coming into this matchup with a two-game losing skid on the road, MSU has delivered sparks on both sides of the ball but never put it together completely for a win. The Spartans now have a prime opportunity to right the ship, but a resilient and newly revived UCLA team has other plans.
“Everybody in the Big Ten can lose to anybody, they [UCLA] were 0-4 going into the game [vs Penn State] but that doesn’t mean you take them lightly,” sixth year linebacker Darius Snow said. “You can get beat by anybody in this conference and at the end of the day we’re treating them just like every other game. It’s a Big Ten game, it’s difficult, you gotta earn the wins.”
Junior quarterback Aidan Chiles, his receiver core, and the backfield seek a bounce back after a difficult day at Nebraska. While the windy conditions certainly played a factor in Chiles’ tough passing outing, 39% on completions with 85 yards and two picks, the Huskers secondary owned the skies and showed why they are the No. 1 ranked defense in passing yards allowed.
Chiles certainly found ways to contribute with two rushing touchdowns, but his ability as a true dual threat must return against the Bruins. The UCLA defense does not have a single interception on the season but has limited yards, only allowing 175.2 passing yards per game which is top 30 in the country. Bruins’ sophomore defensive back Cole Martin has been the standout in this area with two pass breakups and 29 total tackles on the year.
Chiles getting closer to his season average of 190.6 passing yards is a major component for getting this offense back on track but the Bruins will not lay down, making this a true key in this matchup. The Bruins rush defense, however, can be easily exploited as they allow 217.6 yards on the ground. Chiles and the running backs get another shot at a subpar rush defense in a situation where a complementary performance can take the lid off the struggling attack.
The offensive line must prepare for another Los Angeles animal at linebacker though. He represents the powder blue instead of the cardinal red in this matchup, but senior JonJon Vaughns is dangerous. Vaughns is not only the Bruin tackle leader for the campaign but is fifth in FBS with 54 total. While he flies around the field, UCLA has struggled creating QB pressure with five total sacks on the year, with Vaughn tending to drop into coverage.
The Spartans’ edge weapons also need to move on and turn that frustration into on-field results. Sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh certainly voiced his irritation with Chiles on the sideline last week. Marsh led the team against UN but only came away with four catches for 41 yards. Senior wide receiver Omari Kelly was completely locked up with one reception for nine yards. The duo has combined for 589 receiving yards with four touchdowns on the year. For this group, it could be a matter of just looking towards the future and facing the challenge ahead.
On the flip side, the Spartans’ defense is looking to carry some breakthroughs from last week into this homecoming Saturday. The Spartans’ pass rush and general penetration up front showed real progress against the Huskers. MSU recorded five sacks for a season high, seven tackles for loss, and junior linebacker Jordan Hall snagged the first interception of his career.
“There was good, tight coverage and I think anytime the quarterback has to hold the ball that’s gonna give an advantage to the rush,” MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said. “I think it was a good game of complementary football between the back end and the front end. They kind of worked together and when they did we were able to get some sacks.”
While Nebraska sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola found fourth quarter rhythm, the secondary played tight enough to give the front seven time to get home. While 195 passing yards is not a small number for Raiola, he was contained for a strong part of the game and ended with his season low through the air. The synergy between these two defensive units may need to return against the Bruins to really show their last outing as a turning point. They go up against a UCLA offense who also have a lot to prove after a shocking detonation of PSU.
Scouting UCLA
The Bruins tumultuous, 0-4 start to the year has been no secret. This time frame includes losses to UNLV and New Mexico, never leading in any of these four games, attendance struggles in the Rose Bowl with an average home crowd of 35,150 fans this season, and the firing of head coach DeShaun Foster.
Sophomore quarterback and Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava, a promising leader with SEC experience, had some struggles with four touchdowns to three interceptions in this span. This was as dead as a program could get in college football, yet interim head coach Tim Skipper as well as assistant head coach and new play caller Jerry Neuheisel injected new life into this squad.
“I think they’re executing better, it isn’t like there was dramatic changes in the scheme, I would probably say they simplified a little bit, I think it was more of a mental change,” Rossi said. “There was an energy, an enthusiasm with the team and I thought their OC did a great job…. you’re gonna see that team, that’s who you’re gonna see here, that other team is gone.”
Under this new leadership, UCLA took down a top ten PSU. for one of the wilder upsets of the season. Iamaleava under a more freeing offensive system, is looking to prove this new Bruins attack truly turned a corner last week. Not only did Iamaleava throw for 166 yards and two touchdowns against the Nittany Lions, he was also the game’s leading rusher.
Iamaleava gained 153 yards on 16 carries and netted 128 yards with sacks factored in, including a 52-yard gash, with three touchdowns on the ground. His skillset, including a strong arm and extreme mobility, is almost a mirror image of what Chiles can do. They also have similar protection situations and supreme pocket awareness is still a must, as the Bruins do allow 2.40 sacks per game. The Spartan defense could be uniquely qualified to deal with a threat like this, with Chiles captaining the offense, but the task remains tall.
“That’s always so deflating for a defense, hey you’re in good coverage, you’ve got people covered up and then the quarterback pulls it down and rushes for not only for a first down but he goes and gets an explosive play,” Rossi said. “You got a long guy with a really good arm who can run, that is very similar to Aidan….. I think we’ve got some familiarity with that type of quarterback, we attempt to generate it in practice with the scouts but as you know that’s not easy.”
The UCLA rush game is complemented by junior running back Anthony Woods as opposed to him being the focal point. Woods has a total of 190 yards gained with an average of 4.90 yards per carry and zero touchdowns. Receiving weapons is more where the skill positions thrive, with sophomore wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer going off for five catches, 79 yards, and a touchdown last week.
This includes a 43-yard bomb from Iamaleava into double coverage that Gilmer came down with, setting up UCLA in the red zone and touchdown two plays later. The number two option for the Bruins, senior wide receiver Titus Mokiaa-Atimalala, also reeled in a score against PSU and has 11 catches for 126 on the season. The MSU secondary showed positive signs against a talented Huskers group, but the Bruins’ weaponry could determine if this improvement has consistency.
“At the end of the day I’ve been confident and the others have been confident in our defense the whole year. You know we haven’t been able to be successful every play but we’ve had successful moments,” Snow said. “Just about continuing to string those together and I think that seeing the positive results even though we weren’t able to get the win [vs UN], which is obviously the most important thing, is what we can build off of.”
MSU’s long awaited return home and battle with the Bruins kicks off on Saturday at noon. Jacob Maurer and Kyle Keegan have the broadcast locally at 88.9 FM or streaming at https://impact89fm.org/.
