Why MSU Can Trust Young, Promising QB

The pass-rush played fairly well, and the Spartans found success in the quarterback run game. MSU can try to carry that momentum moving forward. 

One player who performed well in an unexpected spot was backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic. He saw action early in the game when Aidan Chiles briefly left with an injury, and then again when the game was out of hand. 

How should we assess this performance from Milivojevic? Let’s try to break down what we saw. 

Alessio Milivojevic's performance

Milivojevic completed six of seven passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. He also took a QB sneak for a score late in the fourth quarter. 

In his two previous outings, Milivojevic threw interceptions on both his pass attempts. He did not look like that quarterback when he took the field against the tough Cornhuskers’ defense. 

Milivojevic looked sharp when he came in for Chiles in the first half, scanning the field and throwing a touchdown to Jack Velling to make it 14-7 for Nebraska. Chiles got sacked and had to sit out a few plays, allowing for the Spartan backup to enter the game. 

When the game was in hand for the Huskers, Jonathan Smith let Milivojevic get more reps in the fourth quarter. He remained sharp and made eye-opening throws, albeit not in a high-leverage situation. 

His over-the-shoulder throw to running back Brandon Tullis for 24 yards was particularly impressive, as not many quarterbacks can make that throw. 

He led a good drive when the game was over, which can be hard to evaluate at times. 

Chiles is the Spartans’ starting quarterback, and we have not heard much about his injury status, as he took a beating on Saturday and left the game several times. Until we hear otherwise, we should assume he will start next week against UCLA. 

However, Milivojevic did enough to convince fans he will be a quality starter when his time comes.

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