3 Up, 3 Down: Michigan State's offense 'missing-in-action' in 6th straight loss

Minnesota spotted Michigan State six quick points off back-to-back turnovers, but the Spartans' offense went 'missing-in-action' during a frustrating 27-12 loss to Minnesota on Saturday. Michigan State has now lost six in a row under interim head coach Harlon Barnett.

Here are three positive and three negative takeaways...

Three Up

1.) Sam Leavitt Provides A Spark

Michigan State benched quarterback Katin Houser in favor of true freshman Sam Leavitt near the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the former four-star out of West Linn High School provided an immediate spark for the Spartans. A lot of Leavitt's success was off-script — he created positive plays with his legs early and that seemed to settle him in. He also made some impressive throws, none more so than a nine-yard strike to WR Tyrell Henry for his first career touchdown pass.

Unfortunately, Leavitt turned the ball over twice on his next two drives. The first came on a strip sack that was more the fault of offensive tackle Spencer Brown completely whiffing on a block. The second was an interception by Leavitt on a ball he forced into coverage. That was an unfortunate ending to another good drive put together by the freshman, but it's a learning experience for him going forward. On the day, Leavitt finished with 73 passing yards while completing 8-of-12 attempts, and added a team-leading 52 rushing yards on just six carries.

2.) MSU Defense Forces 3 Turnovers

Michigan State's defense wore down as the game went on, but this unit did enough for the Spartans to win this game if they had gotten any help from the offensive side of the ball. MSU forced back-to-back fumbles to start the game to set up the offense with great field position, but Jay Johnson's unit failed to even pick up a first down after both turnovers and had to settle for a pair of field goals.

Later in the game, safety Jaden Mangham ended a promising Minnesota drive by picking off quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis — the third forced turnover of the day for the Spartans. As for the fumbles, the first was forced by defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and recovered by Mangham. The second was forced by freshman linebacker Jordan Hall and recovered by Avery Dunn. Speaking of Hall...

3.) Jordan Hall

...the freshman continues to be a shining light on what has been an awful season for the Spartans. The freshman has shown maturity beyond his years since the day he stepped foot on campus. Not only is he a natural leader, he's Michigan State's most talented player on defense.

Today, Hall had an outstanding game, forcing one of the two early fumbles for the Spartan defense, and finishing the game with nine tackles, including two sacks. If there's one player this program can't afford to lose (and there are a few on defense), Hall is the one guy you would point to. This kid has a bright future ahead of him, and Michigan State has to do everything in its power to make sure he's playing in East Lansing again next season.

Three Down

1.) Michigan State Can't Run The Ball

Another game, another subpar rushing effort for the Spartans. Michigan State finished with only 109 yards on the ground today (5.2 per carry), and those numbers are heavily skewed by what MSU got from Leavitt's legs in the fourth quarter.

On traditional gives to running backs, the Spartans were limited to just 51 yards on 13 carries. It's clear tailback Nathan Carter has been the No. 1 focus for opposing defenses these last three weeks, as he was bottled up again today. Carter finished with just 44 yards on 11 carries, and while Jay Johnson dialed up several throws to the tailback, he managed just nine yards on five receptions. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter who is taking snaps for Michigan State. If the Spartans' run game can't provide their quarterback some support, this offense will continue to sputter.

2.) MSU's Defense Wears Down

As complimentary as we were of Michigan State's defense above, it was clear this unit was gassed both at the end of the first half and in the fourth quarter. The Spartans continue to struggle defending the intermediate pass game, as linebacker Cal Haladay was picked on in coverage often again today.

Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who came into the game averaging just over 131 passing yards per game, threw for 200 today against MSU. Believe it or not, defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton has been better this season, but he was slow to make adjustments today. That was evident in how Hazelton chose to defend Minnesota wide receiver Daniel Jackson in single coverage most of the day, despite him scorching MSU for 120 yards on seven catches.

The Golden Gophers were also able to wear down Michigan State's run defense, which was stout most of the day but ended up surrendering a career-high 204 rushing yards to Minnesota third-string running back Jordan Nubin. Strong effort from this unit for much of the day, but not enough help from the other side of the ball to get the job done.

3.) Katin Houser's Regression

There's only so much you can expect of a young quarterback who has no support from the run game, but it sure does look like redshirt freshman Katin Houser has regressed over the last several weeks. Today, Houser completed just 12-of-22 attempts for 117 yards before he was pulled early in the fourth quarter in favor of true freshman Sam Leavitt.

About the only success Houser had was throwing 50-50 balls deep downfield and letting his receivers make a play. He was antsy and backpedaling in the pocket a lot today, and the velocity on his throws seems to come and go. Houser had only two designed carries today, which went for six yards.

Michigan State is in a tough spot with its quarterback situation. Given how poorly the offense has looked with Houser under center, maybe it's time to give Leavitt a shot at starting. However, a decision like that could land Houser in the transfer portal at season's end, which isn't ideal. I'd still like to see what a new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach could do with Houser next season.

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