Michigan State Embarrassed by UCLA in Blowout Loss
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EAST LANSING --- The Jonathan Smith era at Michigan State hit a real low point on Saturday, as UCLA trotted into Spartan Stadium and demolished the Spartans by a final score of 38-13.
MSU got out to a quick start, but the Bruins used a run of 38 straight points to easily cruise to a road win and to build off their big win over Penn State last week. The Spartans now fall to 3-3 on the year and 0-3 in Big Ten play. UCLA now goes to 2-4 overall, but is 2-1 against conference opponents.
First Half
The start was perfect for the Spartans. UCLA got the ball first, and Michigan State was able to force a three-and-out. After a short Bruins punt, MSU got the ball on its own 41-yard line. From there, the Spartans used four pass plays and six runs to cover those 59 yards and get a touchdown when Aidan Chiles punched it in from the 2.
UCLA's offense was able to get a bit of a response during its second drive, converting on a pair of third downs and going 46 yards into field goal range. Mateen Bhaghani hit a 47-yard attempt to get the Bruins their first points of the game.
That's when things got away from Michigan State. The Spartans had fourth-and-1 from their own 34 and went for it. Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren called a toss play, but it came up short, giving UCLA fantastic field position. Just three plays later, former Spartan Jalen Berger took a direct snap and ran it in from 16 yards out.
After a Michigan State three-and-out, the Bruins' offense went down the field again. MSU's defense had a third-and-16, but allowed 14 yards on the play. That emboldened UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper enough to fake the punt, which paid off for a 20-yard gain.
The Bruins converted a fourth-and-1 on a quarterback sneak in the red zone as well. Then, Nico Iamaleava found Berger wide open in the flat for another touchdown that made it 17-7.
On the ensuing drive, MSU was able to pick up its first first down since its opening drive, but on the very next play, Chiles was strip-sacked by UCLA's Devin Aupiu to force a turnover. The Bruins then made it a three-possession game on an eight-play drive where they converted on third-and-goal from the 12-yard line after Iamaleava found Titus Mokiao-Atimalala running open across the field.
After MSU punted again, the Spartans caught a break when UCLA's Bhaghani missed a 34-yard attempt, hitting the left upright. The 24-7 score held into the break.
Second Half
Michigan State was able to get the ball into UCLA territory on its first drive of the second half, but like all good things for the Spartans in this one, it didn't last. The drive stalled, and MSU turned it over on downs. To make matters worse, Chiles left the game during the drive after appearing to take a hit to the head.
UCLA's offense picked up right where it left off. The Bruins orchestrated an 11-play, 62-yard drive to reach the end zone again and make it 31-7. This time, it was running back Jaivian Thomas who ran one in during a wildcat formation.
The Bruins kept pouring it on from there. MSU got stopped on another fourth down, and UCLA got Berger his third touchdown four plays later to make it 38-7.
Early in the fourth and with Milivojevic still in for Chiles, the Spartans were able to get back on the scoreboard when the backup QB found Nick Marsh from five yards away. Even with that, the operation was clean on the extra point try, and the kick was no good.
The score held from there. In front of an 80%-empty Spartan Stadium, the clock hit zeroes and made a 38-13 win for UCLA official.
Notable Performances
Aidan Chiles (MSU): 8/17 passing, 100 passing yards, 1 TD | 6 rushes, 9 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 lost fumble
Nick Marsh (MSU): 7 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD
Nico Iamaleava (UCLA): 16/24 passing, 180 passing yards, 3 TDs
Jalen Berger (UCLA): 16 touches, 107 total yards, 3 total TDs
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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