Takeaways, observations from Michigan State’s lopsided loss to No. 6 Oregon

A three-game winning streak by Michigan State to open the season is a distant memory.

The Spartans are now saddled with a three-game skid heading into a bye week midway through the schedule.

Michigan State (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) lost 31-10 at No. 6 Oregon (5-0, 2-0) on Friday night for its third straight defeat. It was also the second straight lopsided setback for the Spartans against a top-10 team, following a 38-7 home loss to Ohio State last week.

Here are quick takeaways and observations from the loss:

* An important challenge for first-year coach Jonathan Smith is making the Spartans competitive again against the top competition on the schedule. So far, that hasn’t happened.

Michigan State measured up in the first half against Ohio State but redzone turnovers prevented a close game going into the break and the Buckeyes dominated the final 30 minutes. The loss at Oregon was closer on the scoreboard thanks to a pair of late scores but an overall step back for the Spartans. Even with stat padding in garbage time, the Ducks finished with clear advantages in rushing yards (213-59), total offense (477-250) and first downs (25-16).

The Ducks won decisively at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. Oregon’s Jordan James posted a career-high 166 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries while individually topping Michigan State’s second straight outing failing to reach 60 yards on the ground.

On the other side of the ball, quarterback Aidan Chiles was under constant pressure while being sacked four times before exiting the game in the fourth quarter of the blowout.

* Prior to the game being completely out of reach, Michigan State put together one drive of significance and that was its first. A 44-yard completion from Chiles to Nick Marsh on fourth-and-2 moved the Spartans to the 2. The following play, Chiles couldn’t secure the ball in traffic and his fumble was recovered for a touchback.

It was the latest example of Michigan State’s red zone struggles after finishing 1-for-4 in the first half against the Buckeyes, including a Chiles fumble on a missed facemask call. The sophomore didn’t get much help and was regularly forced to scramble out of trouble with Ducks in his face. He finished 10-for-17 passing for 154 yards and would have led the team in rushing with 50 yards if sacks were removed.

* The makeshift offensive line was overwhelmed in its worst performance of the season. Left tackle Stanton Ramil returned to the starting lineup after being out against Ohio State but the Spartans were overmatched. In addition to giving up a season-high five sacks, there was almost no movement in the run game. Kay’Ron Lynch Adams led the Spartans with 32 yards on nine carries and a 1-yard score late while starter Nathan Carter had just 11 yards on five attempts.

There weren’t many in-game tweaks to Michigan State’s offensive line personnel, although true freshman Rakeem Johnson earned early snaps at left tackle a week after his first career start. He also played at right tackle late in the fourth quarter alongside backup right guard Dallas Fincher.

* Michigan State remains shorthanded at receiver due to injuries but Marsh looked healthier after missing one game then being limited last week. The true freshman and fifth-year senior Montorie Foster combined for six catches for 115 yards while tight end Jack Velling had six grabs for 53 yards.

* There were early positives for the Spartans on defense, including a three-and-out to start the game and red zone interceptions by safety Malik Spencer and cornerback Charles Brantley. A week after dropping an interception in the end zone, Spencer came up with a diving grab to pick off Dillon Gabriel in the end zone in the first quarter. Brantley jumped a route in the second quarter to intercept the ball at the 1 for his third pick of the season.

Those deep stops kept the game from getting out of hand early before the Ducks pounded the Spartans on the ground. Gabriel finished 20-for-32 for 257 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and ran for a score. Tez Johnson racked up 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown to lead Oregon.

Michigan State continued to rotate heavily in the front seven although linebacker Jordan Hall didn’t play after being listed as questionable going into the game. Brantley and Ed Woods remained the go-to pair at cornerback while Armorion Smith and true freshman Justin Denson logged more backup snaps at safety.

* Oregon entered the game with a kickoff return touchdown and punt return score but special teams weren’t a huge factor. Michigan State punter Ryan Eckley had another standout performance while averaging 44.3 yards on six attempts with two of at least 50 yards and one downed inside the 20. Jonathan Kim made a 42-yard field goal in the waning seconds to improve to 9-for-9 this season.

* After six games in six weeks, Michigan State heads into its first of two byes and needs to regroup from a three-game skid with a tough road ahead. The Spartans host Iowa on Oct. 19 before three straight games against top-25 teams – at No. 10 Michigan, against No. 23 Indiana and at No. 24 Illinois. A bowl game remains possible but the margin for error is very thin.

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