EAST LANSING — Now comes the real test of how Jonathan Smith is building his Michigan State football program.
To compete in the Big Ten, Smith knows resilience is required. His players must push through the adversity that arrives when the nonconference season ends and the conference competition begins
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That barrier arrives this week, with the Spartans opening conference play with multiple challenges stacked against them.
Late at night – 11 p.m. Eastern time (on Fox) on Sept. 20. On the road – at the LA Memorial Coliseum. And against a talented and surging USC team that already has one in the Big Ten win column – the Trojans rolled over Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Saturday, Sept. 13.
And the Spartans might have to do it short-handed.
Michigan State’s Luka Vincic walks off the field after an injury against Youngstown State during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
REPORT CARD: Spartans not impressive in win over Youngstown State
The list of the wounded from MSU’s up-and-down victory over FCS-level Youngstown State on Saturday is lengthy. Among them: wideout Nick Marsh, offensive lineman Luka Vincic and running back Makhi Frazier.
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Smith wasn’t certain on the status of any of them for the trip to Los Angeles. The Spartans (3-0) have a bye week after that game, but being at less than full strength heading into Big Ten play would be less than optimal.
“It’s a physical game, and you need guys to get in,” Smith said. “I think for three weeks, we have gotten a bunch of guys in, and they know the importance. Maybe they were just getting in the game because that was part of a rotation. Now, a guy goes down, you need the next guy to go in.
“And that’s the expectation.”
It was a long Saturday for the Spartans’ medical staff against the Penguins.
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Kick returner/receiver Alante Brown was hurt during warmups and couldn’t play. Already without right tackle Ashton Lepo, who didn’t suit up, two other tackles – Stanton Ramil and Conner Moore – and guard Kristian Phillips were banged up during the game. Vincic suffered an apparent left knee injury late in the second quarter. Frazier left the game in the fourth quarter with a left leg injury, while backup Elijah Tau-Tolliver briefly left with a shoulder issue but returned. Linebacker Brady Pretzlaff was hurt late in the game as well.
“Next man up. You have to have that mentality,” said MSU quarterback Aidan Chiles, who threw for 270 yards and a touchdown and ran for a team-high (and career-best) 76 yards against YSU. “There should be no falloff from starters to backups.”
But there is only one Marsh; the sophomore caught six passes for 94 yards in the first half and made defenders miss in open space while doing so. Quick-hitters from Chiles to his top target helped MSU move the ball despite an inconsistent rushing attack against surprisingly stout Youngstown State (2-1).
Michigan State’s Nick Marsh, left, spins off a tackle attempt by Youngstown State’s Justin Wimpye during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
“(The Penguins) were gonna make it hard for us to run the ball. We played some isolation game over there with Nick and off coverage,” Smith said. “We were spitting the ball out to him, and then he broke a couple tackles.”
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But with a little more than 4½ minutes left in the first half – after back-to-back catches for 29 yards combined – Marsh left the game for good. After being tackled just below his left knee on his second catch, he was on the field for the next snap – a false start penalty on Moore – and then departed. Marsh had a wrap on his upper right calf while on the sideline during MSU’s final drive of the first half and did not return to the field after halftime.
“At halftime, we took a look at him. It was kind of inconclusive, just wasn’t ready to go for the second half,” Smith said of Marsh, who has 194 yards and three touchdowns (matching last season’s total) on 16 catches this season. “We need a longer look at him.”
The Spartans picked up 90 yards on 23 carries from the combo of Frazier, Tau-Tolliver and Brandon Tullis – 56 of those yards came in the fourth quarter as YSU pulled within 10 points. MSU piled up a season-high 444 yards, and the Spartans’ 41 points are their second-most under Smith – just behind the 42 in last week’s double-overtime win over Boston College.
Michigan State running back Makhi Frazier (5) is helped off the field during a game against Youngstown State at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Frazier was dragged down by three Penguins with 12:08 to play, and trainers examined both his left knee and foot. The sophomore didn’t put any pressure on that leg as he was helped off the field. Smith said he does not believe it is a significant injury but added he would know more by Monday on Frazier, Marsh and the others.
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“Things are gonna happen in the game of football,” Chiles said. “Injuries happen, people get banged up. And it’s always gonna be ‘next man up.’ That’s really what it is. You have to have the same mentality every week.”
Next week will be a California homecoming for both Chiles (from Long Beach) and Smith (from Pasadena) in the Spartans’ first road game of 2025. They are looking to go 4-0 for the first time since winning eight straight to open the 2021 campaign, after Smith became the first coach in MSU history to begin a Spartans stint with consecutive three-win starts. It also is the first time the program has opened 3-0 in back-to-back years since a three-year run from 2005-07 under coaches John L. Smith and Mark Dantonio.
USC is coming off a 33-17 win Saturday at Purdue in a Big Ten opener delayed three hours by lightning. The Trojans’ defense picked off three passes and held the Boilermakers to 52 yards rushing.
That makes the training room just as important as the film room the next few days for the depleted Spartans, with an eye on getting close to full strength by the time they head west.
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“Being able to stay healthy is a key for a long season like this,” said linebacker Wayne Matthews III, who had 10 tackles Saturday. “So having guys that can come in and do their job as much as the next person is a huge thing for us.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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Next up: Trojans
Matchup: Michigan State (3-0) at Southern Cal (3-0), Big Ten opener.
Kickoff: 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20; LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles.
TV/radio: Fox; WJR-AM (760).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: Injuries vs Youngstown State could linger vs USC