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

EUGENE, Oregon – The script seemed far too familiar.

Michigan State football's offense moved the ball against a top-10 opponent, turned it over in the red zone to slow its momentum, and then shut down as the offensive line and running game produced nothing.

The Spartans' defense came up with big stops near the goal line, including two interceptions in the end zone, but slowly faded away as Oregon's offense fired shot after shot down the ground.

In the end, the Ducks proved to be too deep, too talented, too tough – and just too good – for a rebuilding MSU. And with every snapshot the gap grew larger and larger.

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

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Quarterback Aidan Chiles made a costly mistake on the first drive and was under constant pressure all night as the running game faded around him. He finished the game 10 of 17 for 154 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and was sacked four times. MSU was outscored 477-250.

The Ducks, meanwhile, were punishing on both lines and finished the game with 213 rushing yards while holding the Spartans to 59 yards 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 passes and another score for Oregon.

“When you play really good teams, the little mistakes are exposed and execution becomes more difficult,” said MSU coach Jonathan Smith, whose last game as Oregon State coach before taking the MSU tenure was a loss at Autzen to the Ducks . “And we’re not there yet.”

The Spartans (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) enter the season reeling after losing to No. 3 Ohio State and the Ducks (5-0, 2-0) in consecutive games six days apart Farewell week. They have 15 days to rest, heal and search for answers before hosting Iowa on October 19th.

And many answers are needed.

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Mistakes are costly

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

Aidan Chiles got the ball near midfield before MSU called a timeout, planning to go for it on fourth-and-2. The sophomore quarterback delivered a perfect play-action fake and pass over the defense to freshman receiver Nick Marsh for a 44-yard strike at the Oregon 2-yard line. The Spartans were close to taking the lead.

But on the next play, Chiles quickly came under pressure and tried to weave through traffic. Ducks defensive end Jordan Burch pushed the ball loose and defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell pounced on it in the end zone. It was MSU's fourth red zone turnover in the last two games.

That 65-yard drive accounted for more than half of the Spartans' first-half yardage. The Ducks dominated, putting up 192 of their 363 yards on the ground. MSU managed just 21 rushing yards on 16 attempts, sacking the Chileans three times, and had just 102 total yards at halftime. Chiles was 5 of 8 for 81 yards, but his second fumble in the red zone in as many weeks sapped the only momentum the offense found in the first half. Chiles has lost three fumbles and eight interceptions this season and has been sacked before halftime three times.

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

“We just have to play together more,” said tight end Jack Velling, who had six catches for 53 yards. “Of course it’s playing away and in a difficult environment. But we’re only hurting ourselves.”

Worn

Defensively, Oregon's offense forced MSU to bend again early. And for a while, the Spartans held their own with big plays.

After the Chiles fumble, the Ducks moved 79 yards to the MSU 1. But MSU safety Malik Spencer dove and intercepted Gabriel's pass to tight end Patrick Herbert in the end zone to thwart the threat.

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

After another unsuccessful offensive play by Chiles and Co., the Ducks again penetrated deep into MSU territory thanks to a 62-yard screen pass to Ferguson that the Spartans were unable to tackle. But again, the Spartans prevented a score when cornerback Charles Brantley undercut Tez Johnson's route and intercepted Gabriel at their 2-yard line.

From then on, things went downhill for the Spartans.

After another MSU punt, Gabriel marched Oregon 55 yards on seven rushing plays, with James making a misdirection throw for a touchdown in the final three yards. Another possession and another punt for the Spartans brought the ball back to the Ducks within two minutes. This time, Gabriel flew into the air on a rush and used up almost all of the time by throwing a 9-yard touchdown to Evan Stewart that sent MSU into the locker room with a 21-0 lead.

“We tried some things, but they didn't go our way. But the defense was still behind us,” said Velling. “We just have to finish better. This is it.”

The Spartans continued to fail to get anything going on offense after halftime, while Oregon controlled the ball for long stretches. The Ducks got a 50-yard field goal from Andrew Boyle in the third quarter and then scored another touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2 with 11:19 to play. This TD drive lasted 8:07 minutes and included one another fourth-down conversion.

Chiles got MSU to avoid the shutout by staging a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive to set up Lynch-Adams' TD. But by this point it only obscured the thoroughness with which the Spartans were being beaten. It would be Chiles' final at-bat, with senior backup Tommy Schuster replacing him, giving the young quarterback something positive to carry into the upcoming long break.

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

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Mistakes are costly

Worn

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