5 Michigan State Players Who Will Determine Game vs. Nebraska

These MSU players will play massive roles in the Spartans' conference opener against the Huskers.

Michigan State’s mascot Sparty takes the field before the football game against Toledo on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Starting 1-0 during Big Ten play would be massive for Michigan State.

The Spartans (2-1) open their conference slate with an intriguing matchup against Nebraska (3-0). It's tough to tell where the Cornhuskers stand with their weak non-conference schedule. Nebraska has also lost six Big Ten openers in a row, with one of those losses being to Pat Fitzgerald's Northwestern program in 2022. Fitzgerald and MSU will need nice performances from a couple of different players to beat the Huskers again.

WR Chrishon McCray

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

Slot receiver Chrishon McCray needs to get more involved in the offense soon. His 11 catches for 84 yards through three games feel pretty pedestrian, and it hasn't felt like McCray has taken the leap Michigan State has needed from him, with a very unproven wide receiver room that has looked the part so far.

McCray actually opened up the season with a pretty good game against Toledo, making eight catches for 69 yards and also having a four-yard rush. He's only made three catches for 15 yards in the past two games, though, including a one-catch, five-yard day against Notre Dame. MSU needs a bounce-back performance from McCray on Saturday against a pretty strong Nebraska secondary.

LT Ben Murawski

Michigan State's Ben Murawski and the rest of the offensive line participate in a drill during spring football practice on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This should also be a big game for left tackle Ben Murawski. He actually looked like Michigan State's most effective offensive lineman against Notre Dame, and he'll have another test this week against Nebraska. Defensive end Anthony Jones Jr. will be the key matchup for Murawski. Jones normally lines up as the weak-side DE for the Cornhuskers, and MSU normally gives more help to the right side of the offensive line, perhaps because of its confidence in Murawski.

If Jones' name sounds familiar, it's because he played for the Spartans back in 2024. He's actually played for five different current Big Ten members (Oregon, Indiana, MSU, UCLA, and Nebraska) in his five years in college, though Oregon was still in the PAC-12 during his lone year there. Jones has looked decent this year, and Nebraska actually uses him as a fullback on offense once in a while.

CB Tyran Chappell

Sep 19, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Nolan James Jr. (2) runs against Michigan State Spartans cornerback Tyran Chappell (22) during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Half of the battle for third-year corner Tyran Chappell will just be getting ready to play. He's been listed as "questionable" to play on Michigan State's Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday availability reports. MSU's secondary has stayed healthy so far, but this probably isn't the game where the Spartans want to dig into their corner depth a ton.

That's because Nebraska has a very strong group of receivers, perhaps better than what Michigan State saw in South Bend last week. The Cornhuskers also have had 23 plays go for at least 20 yards this season, which is tied for the second-most in the FBS. Chappell has been MSU's most reliable corner out there this season. Charles Brantley would get an uptick in playing time if Chappell cannot go, but Keshawn Williams or Andrew Brinson IV would be some other options.

LB Dion Crawford

Michigan State linebacker Dion Crawford (18) pursues an Eastern Michigan running back at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

One big absence this week that Michigan State must deal with is starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff. He's officially ruled out for Saturday's game on the team's availability report, leaving a pretty big hole in the second level of MSU's defense. This will be the second time this year that the Spartans won't have one of their two starting linebackers; Jordan Hall missed the Eastern Michigan game in Week 2, but came back strong with a 13-tackle day at Notre Dame.

Former Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford will get a lot of the snaps left behind by Pretzlaff. Caleb Wheatland should also get some more snaps, too. Crawford started during Hall's absence against EMU and has 12 tackles in two games (he missed the season opener vs. Toledo). How he and Hall stop Nebraska's run attack, which can also be explosive, is crucial.

EDGE Kenny Soares Jr.

Sep 12, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Kenny Soares Jr. (1) pressures Eastern Michigan Eagles quarterback Noah Kim (1) during the first quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week's game in South Bend was a game of "almost" for starting rush end Kenny Soares Jr. The biggest play came when he wrapped up quarterback CJ Carr, but Carr was able to stay off the ground while Soares had a hold of his leg and turned it into a Notre Dame first down. Soares nearly got to Carr at least two other times, but the ball got out at the last moment.

Soares (and also starting defensive end Keahnist Thompson) will need to finish plays and be disciplined on Saturday. Nebraska's Anthony Colandrea is the most mobile quarterback Michigan State has seen so far this year. Soares and Thompson will have to keep him in the pocket as much as possible by ensuring they don't overrun Colandrea. That's how his run lanes open up.