Michigan State's QB Shuffle Bottoms Out in 28-10 Loss at No. 9 UCLA

Michigan State went to the Rose Bowl with its third quarterback and came home with its sixth straight loss. The Spartans fell 28-10 to No. 9 UCLA on Saturday. They are 2-6 overall and 0-5 in the Big Ten, and Pat Fitzgerald's first season has gone without a conference win.

Starter Alessio Milivojevic was out, and so was backup Cam Fancher, Heavy reported. That left true freshman Kayd Coffman to make his first college start. The Detroit Free Press noted he was only the third true freshman to start at quarterback in program history. Coffman opened 4-for-4, and his 14-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Williams, set up by a UCLA fumble, put Michigan State ahead 7-0. He did not complete another pass. He finished 4-for-10 for 42 yards and was sacked three times.

The play that decided the game came in the second quarter. A second Bruins fumble gave Michigan State the ball in the red zone with the score tied 7-7. On his first dropback of that drive, Coffman threw into double coverage and was intercepted, and UCLA turned the return into a touchdown. CBS Sports counted 28 straight UCLA points after the first quarter against a lone Spartans field goal. It was the Bruins' first win over Michigan State since 1966.

Redshirt freshman Leo Hannan replaced Coffman on the last drive of the third quarter, in his college debut. He moved the ball some and led the late field goal, but he also threw an interception. Injuries left the backfield just as thin. Lead back Marvis Parrish went out after two carries, so Williams, who had been fourth on the depth chart, carried 17 times for 54 yards. Heavy listed the starters since Payton Thorne left after 2023: Noah Kim, Katin Houser, Aidan Chiles, Milivojevic and now Coffman. On that list, this was the low point.

Michigan State has lost games by narrow margins. The Spartans fell 38-37 to Illinois on a failed two-point try in overtime and 24-21 to Northwestern after a blocked kick. They now have a bye before visiting Michigan on November 7. With four games left, a bowl trip would take four straight wins, so the rivalry game is what remains to play for.

What it means for UCLA and Nevada

UCLA is 7-0, the only unbeaten team left in the Big Ten. It has won three of its last four by 10 points or fewer: 17-15 at Oregon, 17-7 over Wisconsin and now this game. The offense scored 52 or more against Purdue and Maryland but has been slower in the past few weeks. The defense has allowed 10 points or fewer in four of seven games. UCLA hosts Nevada on Saturday, October 31, on BTN.

The Bruins are heavy favorites across 11 venues. On Novig, UCLA is -1329 on the moneyline and Nevada is +1150. FanDuel has the longest Nevada price at +1280. Novig makes UCLA a 22.5-point favorite at -100. BetRivers has the shortest UCLA number, -21 at -115, and Pinnacle gives Nevada +23. The total is 44.5 on Novig, with the over at -104 and the under at -113. Pinnacle has the over at 44. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.2% to 5.5% on the moneyline and up to 6.7% on the spread and total. The spread differs by a point and a half from one venue to the next. Full prices are on the game page.