Michigan State Football Records Season Lows Against UCLA

Michigan State's football game against UCLA was a disappointing performance by the offense, defense, and coaching staff. UCLA came into the game having upset #7 Penn State and derailing the Nittany Lions' season, after firing its head coach the week prior.

Michigan State, on the other hand, was coming off back-to-back losses to USC and Nebraska, who are both looking to make the college football playoff. In those losses, MSU lost in a competitive game against USC 45-31 and 38-27 against Nebraska.

After a three and out by UCLA and an opening drive touchdown, the Spartans were stagnant on both offense and defense. UCLA would go on to score 38 unanswered points whistle the Spartans wouldn't score until 13:09 in the fourth quarter.

PFF has graded MSU’s loss to UCLA as the best game they have played in BigTen play with a grade of 64.3.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith, right, meets with UCLA's interim head coach Tim Skipper after the Spartans loss on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cons

The offensive side of the ball had a rough time against UCLA. The Spartans had suffered a season low rating in overall offense with 57.9, while also being .1 higher than a season low last week with a passing offensive rating of 44.9.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) celebrates a touchdown with Michigan State tight end Michael Masunas (81) in the first quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Aidan Chiles went 8/18 for 100 yards with a total QBR of 16.2 before going down with a helmet to helmet injury. Backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was brought into the game and went 8/17 for 66 yards and had a total QBR of 25.6.

The run blocking, as well as the receiving numbers, were also at a season low at 56.1 and 55.7. The Spartans' rushing attack was non-existent, as while Mahkai Frazier did have 12 carries for 58 yards, the rest of the team had a total of 13 carries for 29 yards, with six other rushers in the game.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh (6) celebrates a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins with quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (11) in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Nick Marsh was the only bright spot for the passing game as he had 7 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. However, no other MSU receiver had more than two receptions in the game and more than 25 yards.

The Pros

There aren't a lot of pros after watching the game against UCLA. However, according to PFF there were three pros that MSU can look at and take away from the game: the pass blocking (75.5), the overall defense was solid (70.3), and the run defense was solid (76.8).

While many fans have started to sour on Michigan State's season, these grades can give the coaching staff and the team tools on what they need to improve upon to not only gain back the fans but also win three more games to make a bowl game.

A fan wearing a Sporty helmet cheers during the Michigan State Madness event on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State had season low grades according to PFF in its matchup against the now 2-4 UCLA Bruins. If the Spartans have a performance similar to that against number three Indiana, it's going to be a long game for head coach Jonathan Smith.

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