Injuries in loss to Nebraska leaves MSU, Fitzgerald with a challenge
· Yahoo Sports
EAST LANSING — Michigan State is no stranger to bad injury reports, but against Nebraska its luck was particularly rotten.
In a 31-13 loss to open Big Ten play at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, Michigan State lost playmaker after playmaker on both sides of the ball. And the status of those losses could reverberate as the Spartans enter a key stretch of Big Ten games.
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“Early in my time here, maybe in day one or week one, I said we were going to need everybody,” MSU coach Pat Fitzgerald said after the game. “And when I made that statement, I meant that means everybody’s got to get ready to play.
“My challenge to the guys in the locker room afterward was some of you may have gotten your first taste of playing football at this level and in the Big Ten. And my hope is that’s a motivator to help them continue to get better.”
Here’s the list: Running back Cam Edwards went down with a right knee injury in the first quarter, carted off only to return on crutches before halftime. Left guard Conner Moore went down on the same play. Linebacker Jordan Hall twisted his left ankle and left on that same cart to open the second half, flashing a thumbs up from the passenger seat but not returning. Cornerback Tyran Chappell was ruled out before the game, and fellow starter Tre Bell injured himself in warmups. NiJhay Burt filled in and promptly injured himself, and so did Keshawn Williams.
That string of losses doesn’t even mention the players who gutted through injuries. That included left tackle Ben Murawski, right guard Luka Vincic, linebackers Dion Crawford, Caleb Wheatland and Cam Stodghill, plus edge rusher Isaac Smith.
That makes 13 different players who have played at least a bit role on either side of the ball who leave the game with something bothering them. And though that number ought to fit given its bad omen, there are probably other MSU players banged up from the usual blows of Big Ten football.
“It sucks,” quarterback Alessio Milivojevic said. “Like obviously, it’s part of the sport, but obviously (I’m) praying for our teammates. We never want to see anyone go down or get injured, but sadly it’s part of the sport.”
The bulk of MSU’s losses are in key positions. Fitzgerald said Edwards, who entered the game with 280 yards to rank seventh in the Big Ten, could be one of the best backs in the country. He is likely to be out for a while. Hall is the heartbeat of the defense, coming off 13 tackles while dealing with a right arm injury at Notre Dame. Chappell and Burt are the best two options at cornerback, where Charles Brantley has been picked on all season, including by Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
Nebraska dominated the game early and never let it slip. MSU only mustered 89 rushing yards (adjusted for six sacks that cost 50 yards). It turned the ball over three times, with five penalties. Defensively, MSU allowed points on five out of 10 drives and should have on two more where Nebraska went for touchdowns in field goal range.
Particularly in the secondary, MSU is now thin, which is familiar territory for those who witnessed nearly double-digit injuries there back in 2024. Nikai Martinez, who was one of the few healthy that season, sees it as a reminder that “next man up” isn’t coachspeak.
“Everybody has to be ready,” Martinez said. “You never know when your time is coming. Expect it. Be ready. Prepare through the moment. And that’s really all I have to say about it. Prepare to be ready at any moment, no matter if you’re a scout guy, because if one person goes down, you just bump up in the depth chart. Another person goes down, you bump up again.”
Michigan State, with more than 60 new players in portal adds and freshman recruits, is thin in terms of depth. Skimming off the top layer is going to challenge some of its deeper contributors to meet the moment.
This comes at a key juncture of Big Ten play. Saturday’s loss was the first of a four-game stretch of the Spartans’ key games, three of them being at home and one at Wisconsin. Fitzgerald said his team needed to hold serve at home to reach team goals. Depending on Wednesday’s initial injury report, the next stop at Wisconsin may be even tougher.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Injuries in loss to Nebraska leaves MSU, Fitzgerald with a challenge