MSU's Chiles, VanSumeren Discuss 45-31 Setback to Trojans

See what Michigan State's starting quarterback and defensive tackle had to say after the loss on Saturday night.

Michigan State's Aidan Chiles (left) and Alex VanSumeren (right) talk to the media after a 45-31 loss to USC. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Michigan State was in position to have a shot at winning down the stretch against USC late Saturday night and Sunday morning (out in the Midwest), but the Spartans ultimately fell 45-31 to the Trojans because of a few missed opportunities.

After the game, starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and Alex VanSumeren talked about the team's first loss of the 2025 season. Chiles had four total touchdowns on offense and VanSumeren made four tackles on defense.

You can find the full video of their press conference below.

Watch Aidan Chiles and Alex VanSumeren here:

Below is also a partial transcript of Chiles' and VanSumeren's press conference.

Transcript

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Q: Just for both you guys, what did you learn about yourselves as a team today? Obviously, the injuries, Wayne (Matthews III) going to the hospital, Jordan (Hall) gets called for targeting, going down 21 points, what did you come out of this with? 

CHILES: I mean, we know we can face adversity, like, we know that. It's just, we just gotta finish, right, simple as that. We came out in the second half strong, came out in third quarter, we played football, down seven, and then didn't finish. That's what it is. 

VanSUMEREN: Like you said, man, we didn't execute. At the end of the day, it's one or zero, and it was a zero. We gotta be better, we know that. We gotta be cleaner on defense, everywhere as a whole. We'll come back, we'll watch the tape, we'll get better from it, and we'll roll again. 

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Michigan State Spartans with tight end Walker Lyons (85) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Q: In the second half, it looked like you guys had better success at stopping the run. Do you agree with that? What allowed you to do that?

VanSUMEREN: I really don't know. It's kind of hard for me to know out there. But, you know, big thing with Coach (Joe) Rossi is just making halftime adjustments. And just trusting the coaches and whatever they say, we go out there and try to execute to the best of our abilities. 

Q: What were the adjustments you tried to make (to prevent big plays)? 

VanSUMEREN: You know, I'm not gonna speak about that right here. I'm gonna keep that in house. But, you know, at the end of the day, we just didn't execute. We weren't good enough. 

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) throws against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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