MSU Offense, Milivojevic Seeking Bounce-Back vs. Tough Nebraska Defense
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EAST LANSING -- The biggest gap between Michigan State and No. 3 Notre Dame this past Saturday was the Spartans' passing attack against Notre Dame's secondary.
MSU quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw for 123 yards with a pair of interceptions. That was the fewest yards among Milivojevic's seven career starts (his 17 attempts were also a low, to be fair), and it was also his first career multi-interception game.
The 27-10 loss still felt like a tentative step in the right direction for the program compared to how the Spartans had fared against the nation's elite in recent years, but that grace probably won't be there against Nebraska, which boasts an impressive secondary of its own.
Nebraska's Stout Pass Defense
Nebraska had one of the best pass defenses in the nation last year, and the Cornhuskers and their "Blackshirts" on defense feel on track to be among the country's best through the air again in 2026.
Though it has been against a pretty easy schedule of Ohio, Bowling Green, and North Dakota so far, Nebraska has allowed just 118.0 passing yards per contest entering conference play, which ranks seventh in the nation and third in the Big Ten behind Penn State (second nationally) and Iowa (fifth).
Flip back to 2025, and Nebraska finished third in the country at 154.1 yards per game allowed through the air. That only trailed Ohio State and Fresno State. MSU finished with 156 passing yards during its game in Lincoln on a windy day last year -- Aidan Chiles had 85, and Milivojevic had 71.
A major reason the Cornhuskers have been so good in this category is cornerback Andrew Marshall. He'll be the second CB1 the Spartans face in a row in that "lockdown" category, after Michigan State faced Leonard Moore at Notre Dame and targeted him only once (Moore broke up that pass).
Marshall, while this is against weak competition again, appears to have made a big leap from last year to now, and he earned an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten teams in 2025. He's only allowed two catches on 11 targets for 10 yards through three games this year.
He's one of three corners in the FBS with at least 75 coverage snaps to have allowed 10 yards or fewer this year, and Marshall would become the only one if the minimum were increased to 80. If one wants to be optimistic, though, the only touchdown Marshall allowed last year was against Michigan State.
Milivojevic's Prior Success vs. Nebraska
That game at Nebraska last year was really the genesis of Michigan State's eventual quarterback controversy. Chiles was just 9-for-23 passing that day and tossed two interceptions as well. This contrasted with a great day for Milivojevic, who really needed it for his own confidence.
Milivojevic had only appeared in two games before that day in Lincoln: the season finale vs. Rutgers in 2024 and the 2025 season opener against Western Michigan. Both times, Milivojevic was allowed to throw it just once, and both times the other team caught the pass. His pick against WMU also went for a pick-six, which also ruined the team's shutout.
"That game kind of helped me get my footing under myself," Milivojevic said Tuesday. "The first few throws were a couple of interceptions before that, and then going in there during the second quarter, I think we were in the red zone. Throwing that touchdown to Jack [Velling] was huge for my confidence. It was just huge for me to just complete a ball, to be honest, in a college game."
Milivojevic completed six of his seven passes against Nebraska last year for the aforementioned 71 yards. He first came into the game when Chiles came out with an injury, starting with second-and-goal at the 16-yard line. Michigan State drew a pass interference flag on the first play with Milivojevic in there, and Milivojevic tossed that TD pass to Velling on another second-and-goal from the two-yard line.
MSU really could have won that game if it were not for some costly special teams mistakes, but Milivojevic eventually got the keys to another drive at the end of the game with the Spartans' hopes gone. Milivojevic led Michigan State 75 yards in just seven plays, finishing off the drive with a quarterback sneak, which is still his only career rushing score thus far.
"We had a chance to see their quarterback last year," Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said earlier this week about Milivojevic. "He scored two touchdowns against us. He's really good in this system."
Milivojevic played pretty well against the Cornhuskers last year, but things will still be a bit different this year. Nebraska has a new defensive coordinator, Rob Aurich, whom the team hired away from San Diego State this offseason. The Aztecs finished 2025 with the No. 6 scoring defense in the country, allowing 15.4 points per game, and the No. 6 pass defense.
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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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