Gameday Preview: UCLA at Michigan State

Michigan State's offense is going to need a much better day than it had against Nebraska. The Spartans only managed 242 total yards of offense and averaged only 3.5 yards per play. The two biggest keys will be if MSU's offensive line plays better and if Aidan Chiles is able to find his receivers downfield a bit more.

UCLA's defense has struggled for most of the season, though the Bruins held Northwestern to 17 points during their Big Ten opener, and Penn State only had seven points at halftime last week.

When UCLA has the Ball

The Bruins' offense is coming off a scorching, 42-point outburst against a pretty good Penn State defense that's run by Jim Knowles, who was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State last year.

UCLA's offense starts with quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who helped lead Tennessee to a College Football Playoff berth last year. Iamaleava can also scramble, so MSU's defense will need to pay some attention to that.

That Spartan defense had a better game against Nebraska than it had two weeks prior at USC. The 38 points allowed don't make it look good, but the Cornhuskers scored on a blocked punt touchdown and also had an average starting field position near midfield.

Stat Breakdown

Individual Stats

Starting Quarterbacks

Aidan Chiles (MSU) - 63.2% completions, 953 passing yards (7.6 YPA), 9 TDs, 3 INTs | 177 rushing yards, four TDs

Nico Iamaleava (UCLA) - 66.2% completions, 954 yards (6.4 YPA), 6 TDs, 3 INTs | 332 rushing yards, four TDs

Notable Running Backs

MSU: Makhi Frazier - 75 carries, 325 yards, 2 TDs | Brandon Tullis - 30 rushes, 132 yards, 2 TDs

UCLA: Anthony Woods - 39 carries, 190 yards | Jaivian Thomas - 38 carries, 165 yards | Jalen Berger - 23 carries, 78 yards

Notable Wide Receivers

MSU: Omari Kelly - 22 catches, 326 yards, 1 TD | Nick Marsh - 22 catches, 263 yards, 3 TDs | Chrishon McCray - 8 catches, 142 yards, 1 TD

UCLA: Kwazi Gilmer - 24 catches, 302 yards, 2 TDs | Mikey Matthews - 11 catches, 128 yards | Titus Mokiao-Atimalala - 11 catches, 126 yards, 2 TDs

Notable Tight Ends

MSU: Jack Velling - 11 catches, 111 yards, 2 TDs | Michael Masunas - 7 catches, 94 yards, 2 TDs

UCLA: Jack Pedersen - 9 catches, 60 yards | Hudson Habermehl - 8 catches, 55 yards

Team Stats

MSU Total Offense: 347.4 yards/game (100th in the FBS) | UCLA Total Defense: 392.8 yards/game (t-100th)

MSU Scoring Offense: 32.8 points/game (t-50th) | UCLA Scoring Defense: 32.4 points/game (122nd)

UCLA Total Offense: 344.0 yards/game (t-103rd) | MSU Total Defense: 359.4 yards/game (69th)

UCLA Scoring Offense: 19.8 points/game (t-112th) | MSU Scoring Defense: 30.6 points/game (t-113th)

MSU Rushing: 140.0 yards/game (95th) | UCLA Rush Defense: 217.6 yards/game (128th)

UCLA Rushing: 153.2 yards/game (74th) | MSU Rush Defense: 109.8 yards/game (33rd)

MSU Passing: 207.4 yards/game (91st) | UCLA Pass Defense: 175.2 yards/game (26th)

UCLA Passing: 190.8 yards/game (100th) | MSU Pass Defense: 249.6 yards/game (109th)

MSU Third-Down Offense: 36.7% (96th) | UCLA Third-Down Defense: 55.9% (134th)

UCLA Third-Down Offense: 38.5% (t-84th) | MSU Third-Down Defense: 43.8% (t-105th)

MSU Turnover Margin: -2 | UCLA Turnover Margin: -1

MSU Penalty Yardage: 40.6 yards/game (t-24th) | UCLA Penalty Yardage: 74.0 yards/game (121st)