Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch grades Michigan State's football team after its 28-10 loss at UCLA on a scale of 1-10.
OFFENSE: 2
The Spartans’ grade here is on a curve, because they were playing with a first-time starting quarterback and with their fourth-string running back and because, even so, they had a few positive moments. But their 156 total yards of offense is the fewest since that abysmal 2023 finale against Penn State and, before that, the 2019 loss at Wisconsin, which was the final nail in the good days of the Mark Dantonio era. Those were memorably awful performances. This one wasn’t in the same way. Because of the injury and QB situations. Freshman Kayd Coffman showed some arm talent. He’s a good prospect. He was in a tough spot, even if he had a week to prepare. Redshirt freshman QB Leo Hannan showed some things finishing the game, too. And Kenneth Williams had a few nice runs in his first action as a running back being relied on this season. His fumble also changed the game, however. As did Coffman’s interception. In all, the Spartans’ had just 10 first downs and didn’t get much going when they didn’t start with the ball in the red zone.
DEFENSE: 5
MSU’s defense played well enough for a while to win this game. And maybe well enough overall, despite a second half that got away from them. Because if not for two turnovers by MSU’s offense in the first half — giving back two turnovers MSU’s defense created — this is probably a tight game at the end. UCLA finished with 28 first downs and 443 yards. But the Spartans’ were disruptive and in the fight for a while, and were so without their best player, Ben Roberts, for almost the entire game. Devin Vaught forced two fumbles, nearly returning one the distance, while Nikai Martinez nearly scored on the other. In the second half, the reality of being shorthanded, without an offense offering support, caught up with the Spartans. But if MSU’s offense hadn’t turned it over, who knows?
SPECIAL TEAMS: 5
It was a mixed bag for MSU’s special teams. Liam Boyd made a 46-yard field goal and Rhys Dakin was mostly excellent with his punts. But one was partially blocked and another that might have downed at the 1-yard line clumsily became a touchback. MSU’s special teams is not the problem, though. The Spartans are the rare team with strong special teams that isn’t winning games.
COACHING: 5
When you’ve lost six straight and none of your units are getting a grade higher than this, a middling grade is about the ceiling. But MSU’s coaches are coaching with a lot of challenges. The mounting injuries are beyond ridiculous. Yet, with a true freshman quarterback and fewer and fewer of their best players available, the Spartans put up a decent fight for a while. They looked like the more prepared and focused team out of the gate.
BOTTOM LINE
I don’t know how this MSU team wins another game. Because this not the team that played at Notre Dame, or even against Illinois or Northwestern. The loss of Ben Robert is enormous. If Devin Vaught’s leg injury is serious, that’s a massive blow, too. Maybe they get some guys back after the bye week. Maybe Oregon and Rutgers’ seasons are enough in the toilet for those games to be interesting, and perhaps Michigan’s offense is as bad as it often looks and that game is a couple turnovers away from an upset. It’s getting harder to see it, though.
MORE:Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State football's 28-10 loss at UCLA
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Grades for Michigan State football's performance at UCLA