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    • Michigan State football, Aidan Chiles overpowered No. 6 Oregon, 31-10
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    Michigan State football, Aidan Chiles overpowered No. 6 Oregon, 31-10

    Vaseline Posted on

    EUGENE, Ore. – The script seemed way too familiar to me.

    Michigan State Football’s offense moved the ball against a top-10 opponent, turned it over in the red zone to thwart their momentum, and then was shut down as the offensive line and run game went nowhere.

    The Spartans’ defense came up with big stops near the goal line, including two interceptions in the end zone, but was slowly exhausted as Oregon’s offense delivered body blow after body blow on the ground.

    Ultimately, the Ducks proved to be too deep, too talented, too strong – and simply too good – for a rebuilding MSU. And the gap kept getting bigger with every click.

    No. No. 6 Oregon put together a masterclass in offense and defense to hand the Spartans their third straight loss, 31-10, on Friday night at Autzen Stadium.

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    Quarterback Aidan Chiles had a costly first-drive fumble and was under constant pressure all night as the run game languished around him, finishing 10-for-17 for 154 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and being sacked four times. MSU gained a 477-250 lead.

    The Ducks, meanwhile, took a punishing approach along both lines, finishing with 213 rushing yards while holding the Spartans to 59 on the ground. Running back Jordan James had 166 yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts, while quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns on 20 for 32 passing and running for another score for Oregon.

    The Spartans (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten), after falling to No. 3 Ohio State and the Ducks (5-0, 2-0) in back-to-back games six days apart, will continue their farewell week in . They will have 15 days to rest, heal and search for answers before hosting Iowa on Oct. 19.

    And plenty of answers are needed.

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    Mistakes are costly

    After MSU’s defense opened the game with a three-and-out drive, with safety Malik Spencer covering deep and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel firing on a third-down blitz to force a punt, the Spartans’ offense looked like the group that gave the Buckeyes passes early Saturday before falling, 38-7.

    Aidan Chiles moved the ball to midfield before MSU called a timeout, planning to go for it on fourth-and-2. The second-year quarterback delivered a perfect play-action fake, passing the defense to freshman receiver Nick Marsh for a 44-yard strike at the Oregon 2-yard line. The Spartans were about to take a lead.

    But on the next play, the pressure quickly surrounded Chiles and he tried to weave his way through traffic. As he did so, Duck defensive end Jordan Burch poked the ball free, and defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell pounced on him in the end zone. It was MSU’s fourth red zone goal in the past two games.

    That 65-yard drive accounted for more than half of the Spartans’ yardage in the first half. The Ducks dominated, putting up 171 of their 363 yards on the ground. MSU managed just 21 rushing yards on 16 attempts, with Chiles being sacked three times, and had just 102 yards at halftime. Chiles was 5 for 8 for 81 yards, but his second red zone fumble in as many weeks curtailed any momentum the offense found in the first half. Chiles has lost three fumbles this season, along with eight interceptions, and he was sacked three times before halftime.

    The Spartans produced 16 first downs in the game, four of which came on a fourth-quarter drive that ended with Kay’ron Lynch-Adams’ 1-yard touchdown run to prevent a shutout. Jonathan Kim added a 42-yard field goal in the final minute for the final score.

    Worn

    Defensively, Oregon’s offense forced MSU to bend and re-bend early. And for a while, the Spartans held their own with big plays.

    After the Chiles fumble, the Ducks advanced 79 yards to the MSU 1. But MSU safety Malik Spencer dove and picked off Gabriel’s pass for Patrick Herbert in the end zone to thwart the threat.

    But it was a fast break, as the Spartans went three-and-out. Gabriel answered with a seven-play, 75-yard drive and capped it off with a 9-yard touchdown run, giving Oregon a 7-0 lead with 22 seconds left in the first quarter.

    After another fruitless offensive possession from Chiles and Co., the Ducks once again moved deep into MSU territory, thanks to a 62-yard screen pass to Ferguson in which the Spartans failed to tackle him. But once again, the Spartans prevented a score when cornerback Charles Brantley undercut Tez Johnson’s route and picked off Gabriel at their 2-yard line.

    From then on it went downhill for the Spartans.

    After another MSU punt, Gabriel marched Oregon 55 yards in seven rushing plays, with James taking an errant throw the final three yards for a touchdown. Another possession, another kick for the Spartans gave the ball back to the Ducks with two minutes to play. This time, Gabriel took to the air in a hurry and used almost the entire clock, throwing a 9-yard touchdown to Evan Stewart, sending MSU into the locker room trailing 21-0.

    The Spartans continued to fail to get anything done offensively after halftime, while Oregon had the ball under control for a long time. The Ducks got a 50-yard field goal from Andrew Boyle in the third quarter, then scored another touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2 with 11:19 to play. That TD drive took 8:07 off the clock and included another fourth-down conversion.

    Chiles did move MSU to avoid the shutout, orchestrating a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive to set up Lynch-Adams’ TD. But at the time it only masked the thoroughness with which the Spartans were defeated. It would be Chiles’ final drive, with senior backup Tommy Schuster replacing him, giving the young quarterback something positive to take with him into the long layoff ahead.

    Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

    Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes every week Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And check out all our podcasts and daily voting briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

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