EAST LANSING, Mich. — Two weeks of near misses at Spartan Stadium leave Michigan State facing its toughest assignment yet. Coach Pat Fitzgerald used his Monday news conference to close the book on a 24-21 loss to Northwestern, the program he used to lead, and turn the page to a Saturday trip to No. 9 UCLA, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
The Spartans have dropped five in a row, and the last two home defeats came by a combined four points. Fitzgerald told reporters the team has practiced and played better over the past two weeks, and he put part of the burden on himself, saying he has to coach the players into trusting themselves to make plays when a game is on the line. Injuries have hit his roster hard, particularly on defense.
UCLA arrives at 6-0 as the only Big Ten team without a loss and one of six unbeaten teams left in the top tier of college football. A year ago the Bruins finished 3-9 and fired their coach. First-year head coach Bob Chesney, hired from James Madison, brought 11 of his former players west with him and rebuilt the program in one offseason.
The Bruins have kept winning even after their No. 1 quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, went down for the year with a leg injury in the Oregon game. Senior Ty Dieffenbach has taken over under center without a drop-off.
Asked whether that kind of quick turnaround is possible in East Lansing, Fitzgerald said he believes it is, even if his program needs an extra year to get there. He described this first season as a full reset and said the Spartans are close but nowhere near the standard he wants.
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