Winners, Losers From MSU's Deflating Loss to Nebraska

Here are the winners and losers from the Spartans' defeat against the Cornhuskers.

Sep 26, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Ben Roberts (55) celebrates a sack during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

EAST LANSING — There are certainly no more moral victories to claim for this one.

Michigan State got whallopped at home by Nebraska, 31-13, to open up Big Ten play on Saturday evening. The Spartans fall to 2-2 overall and face Wisconsin on the road next. As for the disappointing performance against the Cornhuskers, here are the winners and losers for MSU.

Winners/Risers

Michigan State running back Jaziun Patterson goes through warmups before a game vs. Nebraska at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

RB Jaziun Patterson

The injury to star running back Cam Edwards is definitely worrying, but former Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson ran the ball pretty well in Edwards' absence. Patterson was getting the ball a fair bit during the team's touchdown drive in the second quarter, finishing it off with a 2-yard rushing touchdown.

Patterson makes the most sense as a workhorse back in Edwards' absence, and while he doesn't have that great cutback move Edwards has, Patterson showed he can run tough and fall forward for additional yardage on a pretty consistent basis.

Sep 26, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Ben Roberts (55) celebrates a sack against Nebraska with teammate Kenny Soares Jr. (1)at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DT Ben Roberts

This was the second straight week it felt like the Spartans got a pretty good performance from Ben Roberts, who often is referred to as "Big Worm." He's been Michigan State's best run-stuffing defensive lineman in 2026, and most of the Cornhuskers' success on the ground felt like it came from Anthony Colandrea scrambles or stuff away from MSU's defensive tackles.

Michigan State’s Brennan Parachek, right, runs after a catch as Nebraska’s Dwayne McDougle III makes the tackle during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

TE Brennan Parachek

One player who really became involved for the first time in the pass game this year is Brennan Parachek. He had just one catch for 10 yards heading into Week 4, but Parachek was able to get free a couple of times on Saturday for three catches and 40 yards. This coincided with a much quieter day for Jayden Savoury, who had just one catch for two yards while the game was truly competitive.

Losers/Fallers

Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic readies for a snap against Nebraska at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

MSU's Quarterbacks

This definitely wasn't the day for either quarterback who gets playing time in MSU's offensive system. Starter Alessio Milivojevic rarely looked very comfortable out there, enough so that Michigan State opened a non-garbage-time drive with Cam Fancher in there during the second quarter. That drive featured just two plays: a 15-yard loss on a sack and a pretty bad interception.

Milivojevic hasn't looked sharp in either game against Power Four teams. In some fairness, the Spartans' wide receivers have played poorly all year, and Notre Dame and Nebraska both have pretty good secondaries. Still, Milivojevic didn't look as composed as he normally does under pressure, wasn't as accurate as usual, and now the offense in general is a problem.

Michigan State’s Chrishon McCray, left, catches a pass as Toledo’s Israel Petite makes the tackle during the fourth quarter on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

MSU's Wide Receivers (Again)

Wide receiver seems to be this team's biggest weakness through four games. The Spartans' wideouts only caught five passes all game against Notre Dame, and things felt nearly as bad against Nebraska. Seeing an open, downfield option while the play was on-script felt sort of rare, and this was a contributing factor to some of the poor quarterback play discussed above.

Michigan State hasn't had any 100-yard performances from its receivers through four weeks, and it's sort of tough to see one happening soon in conference play. Opposing defenses don't seem super worried about the Spartans' receivers beating them downfield, which means more stacked boxes, which leads to a worse running game, which leads to a worse offense, and so on.

Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall (5) makes a tackle against Nebraska at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State's Depth

What makes the overall feeling of the loss even worse is the ramifications it might have on Michigan State's chances for the rest of the season. The number of injuries the Spartans suffered on Saturday is borderline nightmarish.

The list of players to go down with injuries on Saturday includes: CB Tre Bell (during warm-ups), RB Cam Edwards, LB Jordan Hall, OL Conner Moore, LB Dion Crawford, LB Caleb Wheatland, and DB NiJhay Burt. Some of these looked like they were on the severe side, too.