Another week, another shaky defensive performance. After giving up 24 points to Youngstown State last weekend, Michigan State football surrendered 45 to the No. 25 USC Trojans on Saturday night.
In a game that extended into the wee hours of Sunday morning on the East Coast, Michigan State struggled to keep up with USC's offense, and not because the Spartan offense was ineffective. No, the offense wasn't the issue, it was the defense that continued its downward trajectory.
The Spartans only forced one punt, and it wasn't until late in the fourth quarter with the final score already decided. That's unacceptable.
I have some hot takes after that shootout loss.
1. The defense is the worst it's been in years
Even through the Mel Tucker era and last year, it feels like this defense is the worst it's been since Mark Dantonio retired suddenly following the 2019 season.
This defense just can't get any stops, and all it took was a Power Four team with an offensive pulse to prove that in Week 2 against Boston College, and it was even worse against USC. We should have known the defense was going to struggle against USC when Boston College was able to drop 40 points and Dylan Lonergan approached 400 yards.
The nation's No. 1 total offense had its way with the Spartans, gashing them on the ground and through the air. And they made it look easy. This defense is bad.
2. Aidan Chiles is better than advertised
Coming to Michigan State as the No. 1 transfer portal quarterback a year ago, everyone expected Aidan Chiles to come in and dominate. That obviously wasn't going to be the case for a first-year starter at the age of 18, but he did his best, and got better throughout the year.
Still, some doubters believed that he wasn't the answer, and that he would never be as good as originally advertised. Well, that's changed in a hurry.
Through four games, Chiles has been the best player on the team, accounting for 11 total touchdowns and one interception. He added three passing touchdowns to his total on Saturday night to go along with a rushing score, and he stayed out of trouble despite the pass rush being in his grill the entire night.
If the defense can be serviceable during Big Ten play, he could lead this team to 7-8 wins.
3. The rebuild is on track
This is going to get a lot of hate because, while I do agree expectations at Michigan State should be much higher than just making a bowl game, the rebuild is on track.
Michigan State is a top 25 program of all time, so making a bowl should be the bare minimum and, honestly, probably a bit of a letdown season. Six wins should never be celebrated, but after the program was cratered by the previous coaching staff, we knew that it wasn't going to be an overnight thing (and don't point at Curt Cignetti, because what he's doing is generational).
The Spartans look much better offensively, Chiles is growing rapidly, there are weapons everywhere, but the defense is the only thing holding MSU back.
Once the defense is figured out, this program will be one to buy all the stock in. That might take a change at coordinator, however.