We have the first Big Ten opponent in the 2026 football season. Michigan State. The Spartans!
With that, we have O from the SB Nation Michigan State site The Only Colors. I have asked them… a few questions about what to expect from Sparty this weekend!
What was your first response when you heard Pat Fitzgerald would become your new coach?
Pat Fitzgerald was hired the day after Jonathan Smith was fired. My first response was, “Boy, that was fast.” I was expecting more of a process and to hear more names
in the rumor mill. But the fact that this was clearly (it’s clear, isn’t it) being set up even before Smith was fired, made me think that he had done a solid job in whatever interview process he went through. Combined with the fact that he took Northwestern Football to that program’s peak, and I gave this hiring my seal of approval.
You are familiar with Fitzgerald at Northwestern, I assume. At Corn Nation, we used to call his coaching and the way his team handled games “rock fighting”. What has Pat Fitzgerald changed most in year one, culturally and on the field, from the Jonathan Smith era?
Even the most casual MSU fan will tell you that the last two years of Spartan Football lacked energy, excitement, and emotion (I did not mean to be alliterative there). Fitzgerald is the Bizarro-Smith. He hypes up his players, he coaches hard, he lets them know when he is upset with poor play. I think the team is responding positively to that.
I was at the MSU @ Notre Dame game last weekend. In the press conference afterward, Fitzgerald repeatedly said he was “Pissed” that they lost, that they “were coming there to win.” Last year, there were several games where the team looked like they stopped trying when they fell behind. Against Notre Dame, they continued to battle and kept the final margin respectable.
Another thing that has improved are the bad penalties. Offsides on defense and false starts or other procedural penalties on offense have felt non-existent this year. This team isn’t shooting itself in the foot like the last two years’ teams did.
Nebraska has played one of the easiest non-conference schedules. Michigan State has played Notre Dame. What did you learn about this team in the Notre Dame loss that you didn’t know after the first two games?
First of all, I just want to say that attending a football game at Notre Dame should be on the bucket list of all sports fans. You truly feel the history walking around that stadium. Beautiful campus, as well. And the Irish fans that I interacted with were all very welcoming of the visiting fans. I am sure that, being the destination that they are, they get a lot of them every home game.
Prior to the Notre Dame game, there was hope. Afterwards, there was deserved optimism. Sure, we only scored 10 points and lost by 17. But MSU left some points on the board and had chances to make this a 7 or 10 point game. The line was 29.5.
The Spartans certainly aren’t the most talented team, but they are playing with toughness and discipline. And that is going to help them win some games against teams with equal or even slightly better talent.
Tell us about these three players: : QB Alessio Milivojevic, RB Cam Edwards, and WR Rodney Bullard Jr.
Alessio Milivojevic, not to be confused with Milla Jovovich, is still a young quarterback who is going to make his mistakes. He takes sacks that are largely due to him standing in the pocket and holding the ball too long.
And sometimes he puts too much air on his deep throws and gives a safety an opportunity to run in for an interception. That said, he has pretty good accuracy, which is crucial because his receivers aren’t the best at getting open and he isn’t afraid to throw into tight windows. As soon as he learns to go through his progressions quicker, he could be a very good quarterback. He is very much a pocket passer, not a dual threat QB.
Cam Edwards was one of our most anticipated transfers this past summer. He looked decent in our opener and then looked very good in game two, but Notre Dame shut him down in week 3. He plays low to the ground, has the ability to absorb hits and stay balanced, and changes direction with ease. We need him to be better against Nebraska as he is our biggest weapon.
Rodney Bullard is arguably the best pass catcher on the MSU roster, but that is some low-hanging fruit right there. The WR and TE rooms are easily the weak link for the Spartans. 7 of Bullard’s 12 receptions in 2026 were in the opener. Either opposing defenses figured out he is Milivojevic’s favorite target, or Milivojevic is making a point of spreading the ball around more.
Against Notre Dame, he only had 2 receptions – though one was a 53-yarder – and had at least that many drops. I think by the end of the season, and perhaps even sooner, Bullard will not be the WR that I am asked about when other SB Nation sites come ask me about the MSU offense, though there are a few other names who that could end up being. Look out for Charles Taplin’s speed, Jayden Savoury’s size, or Chrishon McCray’s ability to haul in contested passes.
Who are the leaders on the Sparty defense? Who’s the best player on the defense, and who’s the pass rusher Nebraska’s tackles need to account for?
Where is this defense vulnerable? Run defense, coverage on the back end, or giving up explosive plays?
Three of MSU’s six captains are on defense. Safety Nikai Martinez is the leader of the secondary, but that is the weak link of the Spartan shield. Jordan Hall, at linebacker, is looking to lead the team in tackles for the second straight season.
DE Kenny Soares Jr., who was originally recruited by and committed to Pat Fitzgerald during his Northwestern tenure (only for Fitzgerald to be fired before Soares’ freshman year), was voted on by his teammates to wear #1 on his jersey.
In my opinion, though, the best player on MSU’s defense through three games has been DT Eli Coenen. He is a big dude at 6’6” and 287 pounds, but he is also strong and has been pushing around opposing offensive linemen. He has three sacks already this season, more than he had last year while playing at Illinois, to go with his many pressures.
The run defense is significantly better than the pass defense. The MSU secondary is as water tight as a pasta strainer. You should probably expect to have two or three plays of 30+ yards through the air against us. Our cornerbacks, primarily Charles Brantley, like to bite on the first move and let their assignment get wide open behind them. And our safeties are probably better at attacking the box than they are in helping cover receivers downfield. Attacking through the air is the path to success against this team.
What worries you most about Nebraska, and what’s your prediction?
I know your competition has not been fierce, but Nebraska has put a lot of points on the board. I am wondering if this could turn into a boat race. If it does, I think that could be in Nebraska’s favor. I want to see MSU slow this game down, on both sides of the ball, to give the Husker’s offense fewer opportunities to score.
I believe they can do that based on what I saw against Notre Dame. Should be a close one.
Give me MSU, 27-24.
