How MSU Defense Facing Grim Outlook With Even More Injury Problems
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EAST LANSING -- The depth chart for Michigan State's defense is getting thinner and thinner.
MSU's defense played a pair of true freshman cornerbacks in a game that went to overtime on Saturday, a 38-37 overtime loss to Illinois. Those two corners were KJ Deriso and Jeremiah Favorite. Michigan State also used linebackers Cam Stodghill and DiMari Malone for much of Saturday's game. Those guys are probably about the Spartans' fifth and/or sixth linebackers this year.
Early Injury Bug Striking MSU Again
Things actually seemed relatively in order on the health front for MSU on Saturday. Michigan State got star linebacker Jordan Hall back from an injury that kept him out of the prior game at Wisconsin, and starting cornerback Tre Bell was made available after being listed as questionable in the days leading up to Saturday's game.
Players started going down very quickly once the game started, though. Hall only got about two drives before he took himself out of the game with what looked like some sort of shoulder issue. Soon after, Brady Pretzlaff, his fellow starter, went down with an injury of his own. Dion Crawford got hurt, too. None of them returned. Top reserve Caleb Wheatland was already out for this week with an injury he suffered at Wisconsin.
Then the injuries at corner popped up again. Bell wasn't on the field for most of the second half and overtime. Charles Brantley, the other starter, also came out with an injury in the second half. Michigan State has already been operating without starter (when available) Tyran Chappell and top reserves Keshawn Williams and NiJhay Burt. MSU was literally going through a Big Ten football game without any of its top five cornerbacks.
Michigan State cannot afford for any of these injuries to become long-term ailments. The question will likely come up during Pat Fitzgerald's weekly Monday press conference, but the only real injury update he's shared publicly has been the news that star running back Cam Edwards would be out for the year. Chappell could be seen in the press box on Saturday with crutches and a boot on his left foot, so he may not be close to playing again yet.
How Injuries Could Impact MSU Moving Forward
The injuries clearly had a pretty big effect on MSU's defense on Saturday. The Spartans' defense struggled to string together stops all night, allowing Illinois to get points on its first five drives of the day and seven of its 10 drives overall.
"Next man up" can also only go so far. Michigan State needs some of its starters on defense back healthy, and they need them to stay that way. Hall will continue to be the name to monitor moving forward, given his star power and just how much better MSU's defense looks when he's on the field and in charge of what's going on.
His coming in and out of the lineup prevents the Spartans from getting into any real rhythm on that side of the ball. It's like if Michigan State's offense were constantly cycling through quarterbacks game after game after game. It's not Hall's fault he's suffered a few injuries in a row, obviously, but MSU really needs its MIKE linebacker right now.
Pretzlaff also often served as the MIKE when Hall wasn't available at other points. The Spartans were getting awfully close to the bottom of the list of players who had realistically gotten experience using the "green dot" before, which is the radio between players and the coaches. Malone is probably, at best, the fifth guy Michigan State would like to have at MIKE.
Being down to true freshmen corners also really handicaps what defensive coordinator Joe Rossi can do with his own play calls. MSU maybe hasn't had a four-man rush get home on a Power Four quarterback in a presidential administration. That's definitely a bit hyperbolic, but Rossi essentially has no choice but to pick his poison a bit because his secondary really cannot be trusted with six players or fewer in coverage.
The Spartans' defensive line has remained largely healthy, but the lack of a pass rush has been the most consistent issue of Rossi's tenure as Michigan State's defensive coordinator. It was horrid in 2024, below average in 2025, and it looks like it's bad again in 2026. Saturday was MSU's third consecutive game without a sack.
The only sack the Spartans have gotten against Power Four-level competition was against Notre Dame in Week 3. Isaac Smith chased down CJ Carr that day for a mere one-yard loss. Michigan State hasn't had a clean sack of an opposing quarterback in the pocket since the Eastern Michigan game.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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