The Last Time MSU and Nebraska Faced Off

The Michigan State Spartans will travel to Lincoln to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers next Saturday afternoon.

This is the ninth time the Spartans and Huskers will face off since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, and the next winner will take the lead in the conference series.

MSU has won the last two matchups with the Cornhuskers, but has struggled historically with them. Can the Spartans make it three straight victories over the tough road team?

Since it is still technically the bye week, let’s take a walk down memory lane and break down how MSU was able to beat the Huskers in 2023. A lot has changed since then.

Michigan State 20, Nebraska 17

Michigan State's Sam Leavitt runs for a first down against Nebraska during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

MSU needed a victory to stay alive for bowl eligibility, even if the final two games did not provide much hope for wins. The team finished with Ohio State and Penn State that season.

Interim head coach Harlon Barnett was trying to navigate a tumultuous season that saw the MSU football program in dire straits. The team was behind Barnett, as he was beloved in the Spartan locker room.

The Spartans were not very good in 2023, and Jonathan Smith was just weeks from taking over the program. This game was tough to watch for much of the contest.

Michigan State quarterback Katin Houser warms up before the Maryland game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

MSU took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter after Katin Houser put together a nice drive, capping it off with a touchdown strike to Christian Fitzpatrick. Both players would hit the transfer portal in the offseason.

The Spartans wanted to see what they had in Sam Leavitt, so the staff started to give him more run towards the end of the season. He delivered a touchdown pass to Montorie Foster Jr., showing off his confidence and moxie as a playmaker.

Leavitt would hit the portal, too; the rest was history with him.

MSU led 20-10 in the fourth quarter, and it appeared that the team was on its way to its third victory. However, things got dicey near the end of the game.

Nebraska punched it in with Emmett Johnson, who the team will see this weekend, and Jonathan Kim missed a field goal that would have put MSU up 23-17 with less than a minute left.

MSU held on with a defensive stand to take Nebraska down, 20-17.

Both teams look vastly different in 2025, as it is year three under Matt Rhule for the Huskers, and Smith has the Spartans looking improved in his second season.

Road games are tough, especially in-conference. Will MSU keep the win streak going?

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