Michigan State Report Card: Offensive Line Earns An F

NCAAF College Football
September 28, 2026
Alessio Milivojevic, Ben Roberts, Brennan Parachek, Cam Edwards, Cam Fancher, Cam Stodghill, Chrishon McCray, Dion Crawford, Jayden Savoury, Jaziun Patterson, Jordan Hall, Kai Rios, Liam Boyd, Michigan State Spartans, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Pat Fitzgerald, Sports

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Michigan State kicked off its Big Ten schedule with a 31-13 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Special teams led the week in this Michigan State report card, as the offense and defense failed to find a rhythm with injuries piling up.

Quarterbacks: D

Pat Fitzgerald used both Alessio Milivojevic and Cam Fancher after praising Fancher’s play in limited snaps. Neither quarterback found a groove, and both struggled with turnovers. Milivojevic completed 18 of 26 passes for 208 yards but threw an interception and fumbled twice. Fancher attempted just two passes, with one being an interception.

Running Backs: C+

The Spartans lost their lead running back Cam Edwards in the first quarter. Jaziun Patterson stepped up in Edwards’ absence, rushing for 54 yards on 16 attempts and scoring the Spartans’ only touchdown. MSU will need Patterson to step up for the rest of the season, with Edwards ruled out for the year.

Wide Receivers: C

MSU’s wide receiver group had a quiet night, with the passing game struggling. The Spartan receivers combined for 101 yards on 10 catches, with Chrishon McCray logging the longest reception of the group for 21 yards.

Tight Ends: B-

The Spartans featured three tight ends in the passing game. Jayden Savoury, Brennan Parachek, and Kai Rios all caught passes, combining for 80 yards. While none of them scored a touchdown, it was a solid showing, especially with the offense struggling to put points on the board.

Offensive Line: F

The Spartan offensive line was a disaster against Nebraska’s defense. They gave up six sacks, which led to Milivojevic’s fumbles. They also allowed 10 tackles for loss, four more than they allowed Notre Dame. The offensive line did not help the offense run comfortably.

Defensive Line: C-

While the defensive line did a fine job holding Nebraska’s running backs, who had 92 rushing yards on 29 carries, it struggled to get negative tackles. They had zero sacks, and only Ben Roberts got a single tackle for loss.

Linebackers: C-

With Jordan Hall, Cam Stodghill, and Dion Crawford going down during the game, the linebackers struggled to work effectively. They failed to contain Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea. He rushed 10 times for 66 yards, his season-high rushing total so far.

Defensive Backs: C-

The Michigan State secondary held Colandrea to 15 for 27 on pass attempts for 212 yards and two passing touchdowns. They allowed Nebraska wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer a career night, as he set a career high with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Special Teams: B

Liam Boyd went two for three on field goal attempts, connecting from 48 and 46 yards before Nebraska blocked his 52-yard try in the third quarter. The Spartans also blocked a Nebraska punt in the first quarter and recovered the ball at the Nebraska 26, but a holding penalty on the punt-block unit wiped the play out and gave Nebraska an automatic first down.

Coaching: D

While it’s hard to blame the coaching with the injuries piling up as the game progressed, it was another failure in the second half. After going into halftime down 24-10 but still alive, the Spartans scored only a single field goal. That brings second-half scoring in the last two games to just three points. Something needs to change in the second-half offense.

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