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Michigan State · NebraskaA bigger issue for Michigan State than bouncing back from their first loss of the season might be keeping their best players healthy heading into conference play. Linebacker Jordan Hall went the whole way at Notre Dame but is still dealing with an elbow injury suffered in the opener and kept him out of the EMU game.
Hall's linemate, Brady Pretzlaff, went out after a massive collision at Notre Dame and did not return. On offense, leading rusher Cam Edwards had to be helped off the field late in the game after slipping on the turf and appearing to suffer some sort of left ankle injury.
Pretzlaff's injury certainly seems to be the most serious while Hall and Edwards potentially being hampered would obviously make things much harder for MSU. The Cornhuskers, like MSU, opened with consecutive wins against MAC opponents, 49-21 against Ohio and then 56-7 over Bowling Green.
The Spartans, as we know, defeated a pair of MAC teams in Toledo and Eastern Michigan before a 27-10 loss to #3 Notre Dame in South Bend. Nebraska is coming off a 34-7 win against FCS opponent North Dakota.
KEY POINTS
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- Michigan State made a game of it into the fourth quarter but, ultimately, Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback CJ Carr and the suffocating Irish defense were too much for MSU.
- After dropping its first game of the season at Notre Dame, Michigan State must regroup, and recover, before hosting Nebraska in the Big Ten opener for both teams (5 PM ET, Big Ten Network).
- Nebraska will come to Spartan Stadium with a 3-0 record but they haven't seen anything like MSU just did in South Bend.