EAST LANSING – Perhaps the biggest difference-maker for Michigan State football’s offense is done for the season.
More updates on who's in and who's out for Pat Fitzgerald’s MASH unit roster will have to wait a few days.
Running back Cam Edwards will miss the rest of the season with an apparent right knee injury, Fitzgerald said Monday, Sept. 28. The fifth-year senior transfer from Connecticut got hurt a little more than 5 minutes into the first quarter of Saturday's 31-13 loss to Nebraska after getting upended after a screen pass and had to be carted to the locker room.
“Obviously we're disappointed for him. He's been absolutely outstanding,” Fitzgerald said of Edwards, who returned to MSU's sideline on crutches in the second half. “I was just
talking to him as we walked off the field (after Monday’s practice) – his attitude was terrific, ready to attack whatever direction things are going to go as we move forward. … Really disappointed for him. He works so hard to be ready to go.
“That's football, man – it teaches you some really challenging and difficult life lessons.”
Edwards was one of a number of key players MSU lost in Saturday’s game. And when coupled with already-existing injury issues, the Spartans’ depth is massively being stretched heading into Saturday's trip to Wisconsin (12:30 p.m./BTN).
At times, the constant in-and-out of injuries meant MSU moved on to the next man up after the previous next man up got hurt. And many of those who found themselves in significant roles Saturday were not part of the Spartans' rotation over the first three games.
Despite seeing physical mistakes, Fitzgerald said he was pleased with how the backups and third-stringers mentally responded to their challenge of being pressed into duty.
“I'm not saying and accusing these guys of this mentality, but at a certain point, a lot in seasons, your 2s become what I would call comfortable 2s. They ride the bus, they eat the steak, but they really don't have to go in the arena. And then they go in the arena, and they fail exponentially because they really didn't prepare,” the first-year coach said. “I didn't see that on Saturday. I saw our guys that were in there, they were prepared. Did they execute perfectly? No. Is that the expectation? No. We'd like them to execute at their best.
“Mistakes will happen, and we gotta coach them and correct them. But to see guys step up the way they did, we've just got to continue to build a competitive depth. ... We need everybody.”
Edwards had 304 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries in his four games, adding four catches for another 35 receiving yards.
MSU has senior Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson (26 carries, 100 yards, two TDs) and sophomore Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish (18 carries, 53 yards) who took over for Edwards against the Cornhuskers. Patterson finished with 54 yards on 16 carries and a 2-yard touchdown on a direct snap Saturday after taking over the bulk of the reps after Edwards' injury.
"It's next-man-up mentality," Fitzgerald said. "Jaz, I thought he and Marv are playing at a pretty high level. So we'll have to get some other guys ready."
Left guard Conner Moore, on the same play that Edwards got hurt, came off the field looking woozy as trainers attended to Edwards, and he also did not return. Fitzgerald did not provide an update on Moore or any of the other Spartans who got hurt against Nebraska, including starting linebacker Jordan Hall.
The first of four Big Ten injury reports for MSU comes out Wednesday night.
“Most of it will be up to the availability report,” Fitzgerald said.
Hall, the captain and leader of the Spartans' defense, suffered a left foot injury on the first play of the second half Saturday and did not return. He also had to be driven to the locker room on a cart. MSU also played without fellow starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff, who got hurt at Notre Dame a week earlier, and their backups Dion Crawford and Caleb Wheatland both were in and out against Nebraska with injuries. Those injuries gave redshirt freshman DiMari Malone a chance for 10 snaps.
At cornerback, Tyran Chappell was a game-day scratch and was on crutches in the press box wearing a boot on his left foot. During Saturday's warmups, fellow starter Tre Bell got injured and could not play. Senior Charles Brantley, who started the opener against Toledo, got one of their spots. Then early in the second quarter, the other fill-in starter NiJhay Burt went out with an apparent upper-body injury and had to pull himself out of the game after trying briefly to play through it.
That meant MSU had to bring in third-year sophomore Andrew Brinson IV, who missed all of last season with an injury and had not played since 2024. Brinson finished with five tackles and forced a fumble in nearly 50 snaps, while Brantley had four tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup but also took a costly and questionable late hit penalty early in the second quarter that led to Nebraska's second touchdown.
“It's football, it's life. Things happen,” Fitzgerald said. “You gotta be positive when you don't get what you want – which every player wants to play – and you just gotta keep getting better. So when the opportunity presents yourself, you're ready. And then when you live through maybe the first couple times playing, you learn a ton about yourself. And it all goes back to preparation.”
Along with Moore, starting left tackle Ben Murawski was in and out in the second half after getting hurt in the third quarter. That required a significant amount of shuffling along the offensive line, with Robert Wright Jr. getting extended snaps at right tackle as Rakeem Johnson flipped sides to replace Murawski and Luka Vincic – who suffered a season-ending knee injury a year ago – taking over at right guard while Nick Sharpe shifted into Moore's spot. Rustin Young also saw spot duty at left guard.
“The list goes on and on of guys that had to go into the arena maybe and get more reps than they ever have,” Fitzgerald said. “They'll prepare more this week. They'll prepare better this week now that they have the taste of the field.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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Next up: Badgers
Matchup: Michigan State (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) at Wisconsin (3-1, 1-0).
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3; Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network, WJR-AM (760).
Line: Badgers by 10½.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State has many questions to answer after Cam Edwards injury
