3 Worst Stats from Michigan State's Deflating Loss vs. UCLA
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There are a lot of different things that can be picked on after Michigan State lost to UCLA, 38-13, on homecoming on Saturday afternoon. There were glaring faults in MSU's offense, defense, and special teams.
When you lose by 25 at home against a team that entered at 1-4, there are going to be a few ugly statistics that emerge from the performance. Here are three of them:
Jalen Berger 18, Michigan State 13
Not only did Michigan State just lose to the Bruins, but it also allowed one of its former players to single-handedly outscore it. Bruins running back Jalen Berger, who played for MSU from 2022-23, scored three touchdowns and received credit for 18 of UCLA's points.
In the Bruins' five games before Saturday, Berger had just 99 total yards of offense (78 rushing, 21 receiving) and no touchdowns. Against his old team and school, he had 107 total yards. Berger led UCLA with 83 rushing yards on 6.4 yards per carry, getting one of his three scores that way. He picked up his other two scores in the pass game, catching three passes for 24 yards.
38 Straight Points for UCLA
Long, unanswered runs are becoming a recurring issue during the Jonathan Smith era. UCLA scoring 38 consecutive points isn't the worst example of it --- that's when Indiana scored 47 straight last year --- but it's probably the most frustrating, given the context of the opponent.
Michigan State couldn't have asked for a better start. The Bruins went three-and-out on the opening drive of the ball game. On the Spartans' first drive, they drove right down the field and took a 7-0 lead on a 10-play, 59-yard drive.
It was all UCLA from that point on. Excluding a one-play, throwaway possession at the end of the first half, the Bruins scored six times on their next seven drives; five touchdowns, one field goal.
The only time Michigan State got a stop across that span was when Bruins kicker Mateen Bhaghani missed a 34-yard attempt.
3.4 Yards Per Play Through 3 Quarters
Saturday was another miserable day for Michigan State's offense, as well. Through 45 minutes of game time, UCLA had a 38-7 lead, and MSU was averaging only 3.4 yards per play.
A week ago, during a much more competitive, 60-minute game against Nebraska, the Spartans averaged 3.5 per play.
But Nebraska has a relatively decent defense. UCLA doesn't. Entering Saturday, the Bruins had been allowing 32.4 points per game, were the worst team in the Big Ten at stopping the run, and surrendered the fourth-most yards per pass in the conference.
With the fourth quarter filtered out, since it was pretty much entirely garbage time, Michigan State averaged 3.3 yards per rush and 3.5 yards per pass attempt.
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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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