MSU's Jonathan Smith Gives Encouraging Update on Wayne Matthews III
EAST LANSING --- Michigan State linebacker Wayne Matthews III suffered a scary-looking injury against USC last week, leaving the field on a stretcher and making a stop at a hospital. He traveled back with the team from Los Angeles, but usually the guess during situations like that is that Matthews is probably set to be out for a significant period of time.
That doesn't appear to be the case here. During a Monday press conference, MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said that Matthews could be back on the field as soon as this coming Saturday against Nebraska.
- "Wayne Matthews (III) was able to fly back with us after the game," Smith said. "And again, credit to our medical team, medical staff, thorough protocols on the expertise side of that. (He) actually was able to move around late in the week. It was nice to have the vibe for him to adjust, and so he's been able to lightly practice. We'll see how it goes through the week, but he's got a chance to play this Saturday."
What Matthews Provides
To this point, Matthews has been one of Michigan State's top players on defense. He's second on the team with 26 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and he also has an interception.
Even though he missed the second half of that USC game due to the injury, he's still second on the defense in snaps played (210), according to Pro Football Focus. He also has the best tackling grade on the team from PFF among those with at least 100 snaps.
LB Depth Taking Hits
Another thing that makes Matthews' potential return against Nebraska important is that Smith also announced that fellow linebacker Brady Pretzlaff will be missing the remainder of the season due to injury.
Pretzlaff is more of a backup at MIKE to MSU's Jordan Hall, but the Spartans' depth at linebacker would suddenly seem a lot thinner if Matthews' injury were similar in severity to Pretzlaff's.
Michigan State will probably turn to Aisea Moa and/or Darius Snow for some snaps, as well. Both of them got some real playing time against USC after Hall was disqualified for targeting and Matthews went down.
Containing Nebraska's Offense
Michigan State is also going to need to be as healthy as possible when it faces Nebraska on Saturday. The Cornhuskers rank 12th nationally in scoring offense (43.5 points per game) and 13th in total offense (496.5 yards per game).
Linebackers will also need to be on point in coverage against Nebraska's passing attack. That unit is led by quarterback Dylan Raiola, who Smith said is one of the "better" QBs that the Spartans will face.
Through four games, Raiola is already at 1,137 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and has only thrown one interception.
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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.