The Deadly USC Duo MSU Needs to Watch Closely

Michigan State is prepping to begin conference play, and its first opponent has two receivers who are huge threats to the Spartans' defense.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith jogs back to the sideline before the game against Youngstown State on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Entering Big Ten conference play with minimal injuries on their roster, the Michigan State Spartans are looking to kick off their season 4-0 with a win against the University of Southern California Trojans.

After multiple performances where the Spartans' defense was lacking, it's clear that both offenses will be humming in an intense quarterback battle, but defense will be what wins the game.

Concerning the Trojans, besides QB Jayden Maiava, two names stand out as issues for MSU's defense, both from the deadly wide receiver duo of Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane.

Makai Lemon

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) warms up before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

• Eating up a third of the Trojans' total receiving yards after three games, Lemon is the clear-cut top pass catcher for Maiava, averaging over 100 yards a game.

• When looking at the tape, Lemon has been a star in contested catches, even having one of the top one-handed receptions of the year against the Georgia Southern Eagles in week two.

• Lemon's average yards per catch has hovered around 20 yards a reception, giving him credit for both deep balls but an ability to get yards after the catch against defenses that have a hard time stopping receivers.

• Going against MSU, Lemon must receive extra focus, as the Spartan defense has already let up 820 receiving yards to WR's and with his stats this season, 100 more could be added to that total from Lemon alone.

Ja'kobi Lane

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) warms up on the field before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

• Lane has been a bit quieter than Lemon, but he has still had almost a third of the Trojans' 989 receiving yards with 239 of his own.

• He's reached what Lemon has so far in the 2025 season, minus 72 yards, but on seven fewer receptions, and a much higher distance average per reception than him.

• Going against MSU, the deep ball is incredibly potent, and if the Spartans don't look out for what Lane has in store, things could go wrong very quickly.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on from the sideline during the second quarter in the game against Youngstown State on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Spartans are still contenders to win their first conference game of the season, no doubt, but with how their defense has already allowed 71 points across three games, extra caution and focus will need to go to their pass defense, especially with pressuring the QB.

USC has weapons in Maiava, Lemon and Lane, but they can be defeated, and hopefully, with their upwards trajectory in the season thus far, MSU can start out 4-0.

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