Unexpected 2 Week Stretch of Struggle For Spartans

The first game of the 2025 season started with a dominant win for MSU. The Spartans scored on the first three drives against Western Michigan. Not only was their offense dominant, but their defense also held WMU scoreless. This game really brought the idea of improved defense to life, a stark contrast to the previous season when MSU struggled to get stops.

The next two games would prove that narrative wrong about MSU's defense. MSU struggled to stop Boston College and Youngstown State. A big positive was the offense in these games. Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh performed exceptionally well in these games, reinforcing the notion of an improved MSU offense. Aidan Chiles demonstrated significant growth in maturity, as evidenced by his improved ability to work the offense.

The following week, MSU traveled to California to play ranked USC. MSU was 3-0 and definitely not counted out of this game. From start to finish, the game was a shootout between the teams. Both offenses had really no problem going down the field and scoring. Ultimately, USC proved to be the better team, as expected, given that Jonathan Smith is a second-year head coach in a rebuilding program.

Based on the last four games, fans expected MSU's defense to hold them back against Nebraska and UCLA, but it turned out that both offense and defense played poorly in both of these games. Even when MSU lost to USC, its offense looked good. In both games, the Quarterback play was off, and the offense never looked fluid.

In the coming games, Smith's team will be looked at slightly differently than before if their struggles continue. When Aidan Chiles and the offense are on the same page, MSU is one of the best offenses in the Big Ten.