An offense that was already struggling got some really bad news on Monday. Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald spoke to the media about the team’s loss to Nebraska while looking ahead to Wisconsin, and he provided some updates.
Fitzgerald said that there have been no injury updates other than a serious one to the team’s star running back, Cam Edwards.
The UConn transfer was expected to be one of the top running backs in the Big Ten and Fitzgerald even joked about wrapping him in bubble wrap during the preseason so he could stay healthy for the 2026 season, but on Monday, he’s officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
That’s right, the biggest weapon on offense is out for the year after taking a low hit from a Nebraska defender who hit him near the sideline in the first half on Saturday.
Pat Fitzgerald said Cam Edwards is done for the season. Devastating blow for the Spartans.
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) September 28, 2026
There was a feeling of pessimism regarding a 2026 return when he came out of the tunnel late in the Nebraska game on crutches and putting zero weight on the leg that was injured in the first half. He was clearly in pain and the frustration was obvious, but he went out to support his teammates despite suffering what he probably knew was a serious injury.
The talented transfer from UConn was the focal point on offense had he had 304 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries this season before that injury and he was on pace to be Michigan State’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Kenneth Walker III.
Unfortunately, he’ll now have to rehab that knee and either prepare for the NFL draft or potentially get an extra year of eligibility with an injury waiver.
The offense couldn’t have gotten worse news.
Michigan State’s offense is in trouble
If Alessio Milivojevic is struggling like he did at times on Saturday, it’s nice to have a safety valve like Edwards that can be relied upon to get 4-5 yards per touch. Now that the offense’s top weapon is out, guys like Jaz Patterson, Marvis Parrish, and Brandon Tullis will need to step up.
This couldn’t come at a worse time with the offense sputtering over the past two weeks with just 23 total points against Notre Dame and Nebraska. The Spartans got a taste of what Edwards could do for the offense when they ran for over 250 yards against Eastern Michigan, but they immediately hit a wall against the Irish and that carried over into Week 4 against Nebraska.
If Patterson, Parrish, and Tullis can all step up, the offense could be just fine, but it’s already struggling and that was with a healthy Edwards.
Fitzgerald will say “next man up” but he knows deep down that Edwards is going to be nearly impossible to replace.
Patterson runs hard so he could be a surprise star, Parrish broke out as a freshman with Western Kentucky, and Tullis is the back who stuck around. They could combine to get the job done, but the level of optimism isn’t high enough to really trust that the trio replaces what was lost in Edwards.
Nick Sheridan needs to work some magic.
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