Breaking Down MSU's Tough Loss at Nebraska

On this episode of the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast, we break down what cost Michigan State the game against the Cornhuskers on Saturday.

Oct 4, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr. (9) and defensive back DeShon Singleton (8) tackle Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Nick Marsh (6) at Memorial Stadium. | Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

Michigan State could've won its game against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers didn't showcase superior talent and speed in the way that USC did against the Spartans two weeks ago. If MSU had executed better in a few more areas or in a few more plays, it very well could've left Lincoln with a massive win.

But sports isn't about "if." Michigan State didn't play nearly well enough down the stretch and ultimately dropped its second straight game, 38-27, to drop to 3-2 overall and start 0-2 in conference play.

For this edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, I break down what exactly went wrong for the Spartans and what the game means as a whole. The full video of the podcast, which was filmed shortly after the completion of the game, is below.

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Special Teams Miscues

Oct 4, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan State Spartans punter Ryan Eckley (96) punts from his own end zone during the game against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. | Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

The issues for the Spartans start with the extremely poor play from Michigan State's special teams units. Mistakes that shouldn't be happening this late into the season happened.

The most costly error was when MSU's punt after its second drive of the game was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Nebraska. A missed blocking assignment allowed Cornhusker Jamir Conn to run free --- so much so that he blocked Ryan Eckley's punt with his body a lot more than his arms or hands. The ball ricocheted back towards the endzone and was scooped up by Carter Nelson for the score.

Another mistake that should be a simple fix was when Sam Edwards and Jay Coyne ran into one another while trying to catch an incoming kickoff from the Cornhuskers. The lack of communication led to the ball going free and Nebraska falling on it, essentially gifting it a free drive. That led to another three points.

Lack of Offensive Rhythm

Oct 4, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) warms up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. | Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

Another reason Michigan State wasn't able to do enough is that the team's offense never got into any sort of real rhythm.

MSU averaged just 3.5 yards per play on Saturday. Quarterback Aidan Chiles had to deal with pressure all game long, and the run game was not consistently resulting in real positive gains.

The offensive line, as a whole, also struggled in the absence of starting left tackle Stanton Ramil. Head coach Jonathan Smith elected at first to move Conner Moore over there from right tackle and put Ashton Lepo at Moore's spot, but tweaked with the offensive line a bit as the game went on and the unit struggled.

Oct 4, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Kade Pietrzak (93) pressures Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kylie Graham-Imagn Images | Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

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