Michigan State football fell in their first Big Ten contest of the season on Saturday evening, losing 31-13 to Nebraska, and falling to 2-2 on the season.
In the game, Michigan State defense had up and down moments in the contest but ultimately did not show enough consistency for the Spartans to pull out a win. The Spartans gave up 369 yards and did not record a sack in the game.
After looking at the film, and evaluating the game, Pro Football Focus (Subscription Required) gave out their grades for the Spartans in the game.
Check out who PFF ranked as the top five defenders from the Spartans game with the Cornhuskers:
LB Jordan Hall - 85.2
Michigan State's leader on defense was a star, once again for the Spartans. Unfortunately, Hall left the game with an injury, and
now the Spartans may be facing a massive hole in their defense. Hall finished the game with four tackles.
DT Ben Roberts - 81.2
Another elite performance from a Spartan defender comes from senior defensive tackle Ben Roberts, who was a force in the middle of the Spartans offensive line all game. He had four tackles, plugged run holes and created multiple pressures on the quarterback.
CB Charles Brantley - 69.0
The Michigan State corner played 63 snaps on Saturday, the second most of any defender, and had a strong showing. He had four tackles, and was fairly strong in coverage for most of the evening.
LB Dion Crawford - 68.9
After injuries to the linebackers, Crawford was thrusted into a bigger role, where he was a strong performer in his reserve role. Struggling in pass rush only, Crawford graded out well in every other category.
DT Mikeshun Beeler - 68.7
A reserve defensive tackle, Beeler always is ready to make an impact when he gets into the game, and showed it again against the Cornhuskers.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Michigan State's top five defenders against Nebraska, according to PFF
