Michigan State vs. Nebraska: 5 Things to Take Away from Spartans' Loss

Michigan State had a humbling visit to Lincoln with the Nebraska Cornhuskers playing the role of harsh host. The final score, 24-3, is reflective of the type of game that this was.

There were a few bright spots but they the day was ruled by the famed "blackshirt" defense. MSU did not react and adapt to the Huskers' physicality. In fact, they never really threatened until the fourth quarter.

Perhaps the players were simply exhausted after a challenging run of difficult opponents and could not get up for another road game.

It's also possible that the players were believing the hype and thought they could just show up.

Regardless, they lost their inside track to the Big Ten Championship game and will need help moving forward.

The following slides will outline the lasting impressions from the knockout in Nebraska.

1. Discipline Is Still an Issue for the Spartans

Michigan State was able to overcome the suspension last week to William Gholston but they have not learned their lesson. They continued to make dumb mistakes that cost them dearly.

Darqueze Dennard was flagged for 15 yards after throwing a frustrated punch at the end of a play. He was being held but there is no excuse when your team was recently in the center of a media storm for a similar incident.

Jerel Worthy contributed to the problem by picking up an offsides penalty (although the offensive guard may have flinched) that gave Nebraska a first down on 3rd-and-3. 

Emotion is useful in football but it needs to be controlled. The blame for this continued problem is on head coach Mark Dantonio, and it must be addressed before it costs the Spartans another game.

2. Michigan State Lacks a Sense of Urgency

Michigan State never seems to notice the game has started until the second quarter.

Last week, Wisconsin rolled to a 14-point lead before the Spartans even ran an offensive play. Saturday, Nebraska was able to jump out to a 10-point lead prior to MSU putting forth any effort. 

MSU takes the other team's best punch early and then promptly punches themselves for good measure.

Luckily for MSU, their remaining schedule does not provide much competition but the slow starts could give confidence to inferior opponents. There is one legitimate test left for the Spartans when they visit Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. 

3. Michigan State Does Not Miss Greg Jones

Greg Jones seemed to be irreplaceable when he was drafted by the New York Giants in April. Yet, Michigan State's linebackers continue to build upon the legacy left behind by the All-American.

Max Bullough was well-known coming into the season since his family has been playing in East Lansing forever. 

The surprise (at least to some) has been the outstanding play of Marcus Rush. The former 3-star recruit was all over the field today racking up three tackles for a loss in the first half.

His most impressive play occurred when he chased speedy Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez across the field, maintained the proper angle and was able to force him out of bounds for a loss.

4. Michigan State Does Miss Don Treadwell

Michigan State's offense was stagnant all day and there were zero adjustments to offset the Huskers' game plan.

Former offensive coordinator Don Treadwell left in the offseason to coach Miami of Ohio and the Spartans genuinely missed him today. 

Nebraska's defensive backs were physical with MSU's receivers all day. They were also jumping routes which led to an interception in the first quarter. MSU needed to go to double move routes to use Nebraska's aggressiveness against them but never did. It didn't help that Kirk Cousins stared down his targets before letting it fly.

Despite little to no success, offensive coordinator Dan Roushar continued to call running plays that forced his running backs to run sideways instead of downhill. The Cornhusker defense is quick and MSU needed to pound the ball between the tackles of offset their speed.

Unfortunately, this adjustment was never made either.

5. B.J. Cunningham Is the Key to the MSU Offense

It appears that Michigan State wide receiver B.J. Cunningham may be the most important player for the offense.

He was never able to get going today. The Huskers were physical with him all over the field and he didn't adjust to it. They beat him to the ball on multiple occasions, and he did a poor job of shielding passes form the defensive backs.

MSU's offense didn't get going resulting in a total output of three points. The Spartans need Cunningham to open the field and spread the defense. Then the running backs will find room on the outside to bust longer runs.

Additionally, wide receiver Keshawn Martin is a complementary player who operates in space.

If the MSU offense is going to recover in the upcoming weeks, Cunningham needs to be delivered the ball to set up the rest of the offense.