Michigan State captains Aidan Chiles and Jordan Hall discuss what went wrong in loss to Michigan

Under the lights and in front of a sold-out crowd in Spartan Stadium on Saturday night, Michigan State showed what it could be, at times. The MSU defense fought hard for stops, the offense found flashes of life in the ground game through running back Makhi Frazier, including a 49-yard run in the second quarter, and the sideline was charged with energy, with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi leading it after making the switch from the press box to the field level.

However, when one unit found rhythm, the other seemed to falter, a pattern that has plagued the Spartans this season, as they have struggled to put together a complete game. The Spartans have not often played complementary football with all three phases working together this season, and that theme once again haunted them in a 31-20 loss to archrival and No. 25-ranked Michigan.

“Ultimately, it’s my job, right?” head coach Jonathan Smith said after the game. “And the role in regards to getting all three phases to be playing at a high level, and we have yet to put that together this year.”

Following the 118th all-time meeting against Michigan, Michigan State has now dropped to 3-5 overall on the 2025 season, with this loss marking the Spartans' fifth straight. MSU also remains winless in Big Ten play. The rivalry week for the Spartans began with internal adjustments, but the inability to put it all together hurt MSU in the rivaly matchup. 

Last week against (now) No. 2 Indiana, the Spartans' defense let up touchdowns on each of the Hoosiers’ first five possessions, finding no rhythm to make stops. However, this week, Michigan State's defensive unit showed up for a battle, forcing six punts and what would have been two fumbles, but one of which was called back on a controversial offsides penalty.

“I think overall, the defense did a well enough job stopping the run,” junior linebacker and team captain Jordan Hall said. “They had some runs that got out, I missed almost a quarter (with an injury), so I didn’t see how the third (quarter) really went, but I felt like defensively, we stopped the run, and then it all falls to just execution.”

The defensive unit has been at the center of backlash for most of MSU’s losses this season — and still certainly had its issues against the Wolverines as well, allowing 276 rushing yards and 31 points — but the script was somewhat flipped this week as the defense held up for a good majority of the game, but the offense was unable to put consistent drives together. 

The opening drive of the game set the tone with Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles fumbling on third-down-and-2, giving Michigan possession on Michigan State's 34-yard line and putting the defense in a tough spot. The Spartans were able to hold the Wolverines to three points despite the short field, but it was first of many gaffes for the MSU offense. From there, the game was one of tug-of-war between glimpses of highlights and breakdowns for the Spartans.