PASADENA, Calif. — Helmet in hand, Anelu Lafaele just stood off to the side and stared as teammate and close friend Ben Roberts walked to the Rose Bowl medical tent with trainers. One snap into Michigan State’s Oct. 24 bout at UCLA, the defensive line stalwart Roberts had injured his left knee and needed help to even stand up. It shook Lafaele, who then shook his head with a chill and rejoined the huddle.
Roberts’ injury left a gaping hole in Michigan State’s defensive line, which gave up 245 rushing yards to UCLA’s Big Ten-leading backfield. That tallied more than the 156 yards the Spartans’ own offense could churn in a 28-10 loss. And with four games left in a season that is getting out of hand, the Spartans (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten) can hardly stand another injury.
“He’s been playing at an All-Big Ten level,” MSU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “So when you lose an All-Big Ten level player, obviously that’s a challenge, but then it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up. … At times, we just weren’t fitting things properly. We were getting reached.”
Roberts returned to the sideline in street clothes with crutches to start the second half, joining injured quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and linebacker Jordan Hall, who both missed the game with their own injuries. After he went onto the field to shake hands postgame, Roberts got in a wheelchair, with a big brace on his left knee.
It looked like the kind of injury that ends a season, something Roberts is all too familiar with after last year when he went down against Michigan and didn't return. His health was a rarity on the defense, especially at such a physically taxing position. Now, it's compromised, and it fundamentally changes this defense.
For Michigan State, Roberts is the heartbeat of a defense already down Hall, cornerback Charles Brantley and a count of other defensive impact players that is getting lengthy. Roberts' 254 snaps entering Saturday ranked sixth among all Michigan State players on his side of the ball, and his voice has carried resonance to keep teammates pushing amid a rash of injuries that have sidelined no less than 11 one-time starters.
Lafaele wasn’t the only one shaken up by the loss of such an important piece of the defense.
“Especially for me, very emotional,” fellow senior and safety Nikai Martinez said. “Me and Ben — me and Worm — was on our visit together, and we committed the same day. So we’ve been on this journey together, for real for real.”
Just looking at the football side of this, UCLA got everything it wanted in the run game. Three different Bruins scored touchdowns in Wayne Knight, Jaivian Thomas and Anthony Woods. The furthest came from Thomas, from 7 yards out. Without Roberts in the middle, Michigan State’s defensive line rotated and rotated trying to find answers. It had none. UCLA ran for four gains of 10 or more yards up the middle of the defense.
If the stats didn’t show alone how integral Roberts is to the run defense, the play on the field did. Michigan State went from getting five sacks last week against Northwestern to zero — the fourth time that has happened in five games.
As the nose tackle of Michigan State’s 4-2-5 and 4-3 fronts, Roberts takes double-teams from the offensive line that enable defensive lineman Eli Coenen and edge rushers Kenny Soares Jr., Keahnist Thompson and Lafaele to get sacks. Nobody in the defensive tackle room has his size at 6-foot-3, 325 pounds. Those even close don't have his experience.
The only backfield tackles MSU got out of UCLA came from linebacker Dion Crawford and nickelback Michael Richard. Just two, on 79 plays.
Going forward, losing Roberts and other players will only hurt Michigan State as it looks to snap a six-game losing streak. It even changes the calls that defensive coordinator Joe Rossi can make.
“We gotta look at ourselves,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m saying this because I mean it. There were a lot of times today on the headphones, it was like, just call what we can execute.”
And as Michigan State has withstood much of its bad injury luck with a next-man-up mentality, it begs the question how much longer the Spartans can go on.
“I’ve never seen so many injuries,” Fitzgerald said.
And he sure doesn’t want to see anymore.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ben Roberts' injury looms large for Michigan State's defense