If you stayed up late for the USC vs. Michigan State football game a little over a week ago, you would have seen some scary sights like a Jordan Hall ejection followed by what looked like a very serious injury to starting linebacker Wayne Matthews III.
The veteran linebacker took a big hit on a tackle in a pile, and was down for an extended period of time. It looked like he was barely moving, and the stretcher came out to cart him off the field and into a waiting ambulance.
Matthews was taken to nearby LA General Hospital and he eventually took the trip back home with the team, tweeting out shortly after the game that he was OK and he’d be back soon.
The update from Matthews himself made Michigan State fans breathe a sigh of relief.
On Monday, following a bye, Jonathan Smith gave an even more encouraging update, telling the media that Matthews might end up suiting up on Saturday at Nebraska.
Smith says Wayne Matthews III and was able to move around late last week and lightly practice last week, has a chance to play at Nebraska. LB flew back with the team after the loss at USC.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 29, 2025
This was a surprisingly positive update that fans probably weren’t expecting any time soon. The senior linebacker practiced lightly last week and could be in line to play on Saturday afternoon at Nebraska which would be huge for the defense that could use all the help it can get.
Matthews is the team’s starting linebacker next to Jordan Hall, and getting him back on the field sooner rather than later, especially with Brady Pretzlaff out for the year, would be huge.
It’s been a tough year for injuries already, but this was a positive update, to say the least.