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Michigan State no match for No. 6 Oregon in 31-10 loss

Vaseline October 5, 2024

Eugene, Ore. Friday night was the latest tantalizing reminder of the divide between Michigan State and the best teams in the country.

Six days after No. 3 Ohio State thumped the Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan State proved to be no match for No. 6 Oregon, rolling to a 31-10 victory.

Coach Jonathan Smith said the goal this season was to get better as the season progresses. But Friday’s game was more or less status quo for the Spartans, who were overwhelmed by the Ducks in almost every way.

Missed opportunities, an early fumble on the goal line and penalties hurt Michigan State. That includes Oregon’s inefficient running game and crushing defensive line, which feasted on Aidan Chiles like a chew toy.

The Spartans knew the challenge they had heading into one of the loudest and toughest venues in college football. Oregon got off to a slow start, but started to look like the team it was expected to be, with dominant wins against Oregon State and UCLA over the past two weeks.

And yet, Michigan State still let the Ducks have their way while roiling the Spartans all night long.

BOX SCORE: Oregon 31, Michigan State 10

The Spartans’ defense did a good job disrupting the Ducks’ accurate quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, who threw two picks into the end zone. But Oregon found other ways to compensate for those mistakes.

Ducks running back Jordan James had a career night as he ran for 166 yards and a touchdown to help Oregon beat Michigan State in total yards, 477-250.

Michigan State’s offense couldn’t sustain drives, going 2-for-11 on third downs. That made the defense look gassed at halftime.

Gabriel, the nation’s most accurate quarterback, threw two interceptions in the end zone to speedy Malik Spencer and Charles Brantley. But Gabriel’s experience showed that he never seemed to be unnerved by his mistakes.

Gabriel got his team on the board first, rushing for a 9-yard score with 22 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Ducks weakened Michigan State as the game progressed and took a 21-0 lead at halftime.

Things did not get better for the Spartans after the break.

Oregon players danced joyfully with the crowd Friday evening as the hit “Shout!” blared from the speakers between the third and fourth quarters.

Michigan State, on the other side of the field, stood largely still as the team tried to find ways to stop the bleeding.

But in the end, Smith and his team had few answers for the Ducks.

Kay’ron Lynch-Adams hit a 1-yard run into the end zone to get his team on the board in the fourth quarter, allowing the Spartans to avoid the shutout. With about 30 seconds left, Jonathan Kim scored a 42-yard field goal to make it 31-10.

Oregon improved to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play. Meanwhile, the Spartans fell to 3-3 and 1-2 in league play.

Michigan State has next week off before continuing a grueling stretch of the schedule. Three of the Spartans’ next four opponents entered this weekend ranked in the top 25.

Michigan State will play Iowa on Oct. 19 outside of the bye week.

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@madkenney