Michigan State is no match for No. 6 Oregon in a 31-10 loss

Eugene, Ore. – Friday night was the last painful reminder of the separation between Michigan State and the best teams in the country.

Six days after No. 3 Ohio State beat the Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan State proved no match for No. 6 Oregon, which cruised to a 31-10 victory.

Coach Jonathan Smith said the goal this season is to get better as the season progresses. But Friday's game was more or less status quo for the Spartans, who were overwhelmed by the Ducks in almost every way.

Missed opportunities, an early goal-line fumble and penalties hurt Michigan State. This also applies to Oregon's inefficient running game and devastating defensive line, which feasted on Aidan Chiles like a chew toy.

The Spartans knew the challenge awaited them heading into one of the loudest, toughest venues in college football. Oregon got off to a slow start but looked as expected with dominant wins against Oregon State and UCLA over the last two weeks.

And yet, Michigan State let the Ducks have their way while upsetting the Spartans all night long.

BOX SCORE: Oregon 31, Michigan State 10

The Spartans' defense did a good job disrupting the Ducks' scoring quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, who threw two picks into the end zone. But Oregon has found other ways to make up for those mistakes.

Ducks running back Jordan James had a career night as he ran for 166 yards and a touchdown and helped Oregon surpass Michigan State in total yards, 477-250.

Michigan State's offense couldn't sustain the offense, going 2-for-11 on third downs. This resulted in the defense looking completely exhausted at half-time.

Gabriel, the most accurate passing quarterback in the country, threw two interceptions in the end zone to speedy Malik Spencer and Charles Brantley. But Gabriel's experience showed that he never let his mistakes bother him.

Gabriel got his team on the board first, rushing for a 9-yard score with 22 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Ducks wore down Michigan State throughout the game and took a 21-0 halftime lead.

Things didn't go any better for the Spartans after the break.

Oregon players danced joyfully with the crowd Friday night as the Isley Brothers heard the hit “Shout!” blared from the speakers between the third and fourth quarters.

Across the field, Michigan State stood mostly motionless as the team tried to find ways to stop the bleeding.

In the end, however, Smith and his team had few answers for the Ducks.

Kay'ron Lynch-Adams hit a 1-yard run into the end zone to get his team on the field in the fourth quarter, allowing the Spartans to avoid the shutout. With about 30 seconds left, Jonathan Kim hit a 42-yard field goal to make it 31-10.

Oregon improved to 5-0 this season and 2-0 in Big Ten play. Meanwhile, the Spartans were down 3-3 and 1-2 in league play.

Michigan State has next week off before continuing with a grueling portion of the schedule. Three of the Spartans' next four opponents this weekend were ranked in the top 25.

Michigan State is scheduled to play Iowa on Oct. 19 outside of the bye week.

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