3 Most Concerning Stats From MSU's Loss to Nebraska

Here are the stats that stood out from the Spartans' loss to the Cornhuskers.

Michigan State defensive lineman Ben Roberts during a game against Nebraska at Spartan Stadium Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026 | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State got soundly beaten at home to open conference play on Saturday.

It felt like Nebraska was a slightly better team headed into Week 4, but the Cornhuskers showed they were a lot more superior than anticipated in a 31-13 result over the Spartans. Here are three stats from the loss that feel the most concerning.

Minus-3 Turnover Differential

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

You're not going to find many conference victories when you lose the turnover battle 3-0. MSU hasn't taken good care of the ball well enough in either of its games against Power Four opponents. It also lost the turnover battle 2-0 at No. 3 Notre Dame. That's five total giveaways from the offense and no takeaways from the defense.

Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic has been responsible for four of those turnovers -- three interceptions, one lost fumble. Milivojevic hasn't looked like the same young, confident, and promising QB he seemed to be in 2025. The decline from last year to now at receiver hasn't helped, but it feels like something else is off. Backup quarterback Cam Fancher had the other against Nebraska with his own interception.

39 Rush Yards

Michigan State’s Jaziun Patterson runs for a gain against Nebraska during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan State's rushing attack has also been a disappointment so far this year. The Spartans' ground game never got going on Saturday against Nebraska, finishing with just 39 total rushing yards. That number goes to 89 with sacks excluded, but that's not exactly a great number, either. MSU's longest run of the entire game went for just nine yards.

This isn't a running back problem, though we'll see how things look if Cam Edwards misses an extended period of time. Some of this could be connected to the Spartans' anemic passing game. Defenses don't seem super worried about what Michigan State can do through the air, which means MSU sees plenty of boxes of 6-7 people, which makes running the ball pretty difficult.

Average Third-Down Distance: 9 Yards

Michigan State’s Alessio Milivojevic runs for a gain against Nebraska during the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan State's offense was also not nearly good enough on early downs. The Spartans averaged nine yards to go on third down, which is not a great testament to MSU's ability to sustain drives. Michigan State never had a single third down of six yards or fewer, in fact. The Spartans actually averaged more yards per play on first down than Nebraska, but it definitely didn't feel like it.

This ties into the struggles both through the air and on the ground. MSU struggles to stay on schedule consistently, and that's not good with a wide receiving corps that struggles to get separation.