Michigan State football will head west with an injury situation that went from bad to worse.
Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and running back Jaziun Patterson are among those listed as questionable for the Spartans’ trip to California to face No. 10 UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. (CBS) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The Big Ten released its first availability report Wednesday night, and it will be updated two more times before the final report two hours before the game begins.
The unspecified Milivojevic injury situation could be a significant issue if he cannot play. Backup quarterback Cam Fancher remains out, and first-year freshman Kayd Coffman served as the No. 2 quarterback the past two weeks in losses to Illinois
and Northwestern. Coffman got his first snaps as a college player late in MSU’s loss at Wisconsin after Fancher got hurt and left the game with an apparent knee injury.
Milivojevic has started the last 11 games for the Spartans, going back to the final four games of 2025.
Patterson, an Iowa transfer, ascended to the starting running back job with the season-ending knee injury Cam Edwards suffered against Nebraska on Sept. 26. Sophomore Marvis Parrish, a Western Kentucky transfer, has operated as the No. 2 running back, with junior Brandon Tullis behind him and Patterson.
The Spartans also will play again without linebacker and captain Jordan Hall for the fourth game this season. Cornerbacks Tre Bell, Tyran Chappell and Charles Brantley, and wide receiver Charles Taplin also are listed as out.
Linebackers Brady Pretzlaff and Caleb Wheatland, along with left tackle Ben Murawski, have been listed as questionable after they sat out Saturday’s 24-21 loss to Northwestern.
Others who are out for MSU include cornerback Keshawn Williams, fullback Jay Coyne, offensive lineman Tristan Comer and tight end Joe Caudill. Running back Darrin Jones Jr. is on the questionable list.
UCLA is without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who is expected to miss the rest of the season. Also out for the Bruins (6-0, 4-0) are defensive backs Rodrick Pleasant and Tao Johnson; wide receivers Mikey Matthews and Jonah Smith; and offensive linemen Sam Yoon and Jordan Davis. Offensive lineman Eugene Brooks is listed as questionable.
The Spartans (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) have a bye next week to rest and heal before they travel to Ann Arbor to face Michigan on Nov. 7 (time/TV still TBD).
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU could be without Alessio Milivojevic, Jaziun Patterson at UCLA
