3 Observations from Michigan State's Lopsided Loss to UCLA

After a rough game against Nebraska, it seemed like a lot more of the same for Michigan State’s offense. At halftime, MSU only had 96 yards of offense and was averaging 3.4 yards per play. Michigan State finished at 4.2 yards per play.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles struggled to hit some open receivers, finishing his day with 66 yards on 17 attempts, of which he completed eight. His backup, Alessio Milivojevic, went 8-of-18 for 100 yards.

Against what is statistically the worst rush defense in the Big Ten, Michigan State still couldn’t get it going on the ground. Even with sacks taken out, the Spartans totaled less than 100 rushing yards and just four yards per attempt.

Overall, MSU only scored on two of its 10 drives. The other eight drives ended with four turnovers on downs, three punts, and one lost fumble.

Another Big, Unanswered Run by an Opponent

One of the most troubling trends over the last few seasons is how often teams have gone on long, unanswered runs against the Spartans. After MSU took a 7-0 lead in the first, the Bruins then scored 38 consecutive points.

Last week against Nebraska, the Cornhuskers had a run of 24 straight. Against USC, there were three separate 14-nothing spurts for the Trojans.

This happened last year, too. MSU had a 10-0 lead on Indiana and then let the Hoosiers score the game’s final 47 points. In the season finale against Rutgers and with bowl eligibility on the line, the Scarlet Knights scored 34 straight.

Boos from Fans

Fans let their feelings be known during the blowout loss, and they had every right to. Boos rang throughout the stadium at halftime and pretty much after each time MSU gave the Bruins the ball back. During the game's final snap, the stadium was probably only about 20% full.

UCLA did beat Penn State last week, but that doesn’t excuse allowing the Bruins to waltz into Spartan Stadium for a game at 9 a.m. PT and do what they just did.

Michigan State is now 8-10 overall during the Jonathan Smith era and 3-9 against Big Ten competition. It’s still always premature to declare any coach’s reign over so early, but there had to be some tangible progress shown from Year 1 to Year 2 to make people feel at least semi-optimistic.

Halfway through the 2025 season, it actually seems like the product on the field has declined. Michigan State is the underdog in every one of its remaining games, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. A final record of either 3-9 or 4-8 seems more likely than reaching six wins and a bowl game.

Every fanbase would and should be upset with that. Chances are, there’s about to be a four-year graduating class next spring at MSU full of students who never saw their football team play in a bowl game for the first time since 1984.