Post-Game Notes: USC

GAME NOTES
• Sixth-year graduate senior linebacker Darius Snow was the game captain.

SERIES NOTES
• Saturday marked the ninth all-time meeting between Michigan State and USC and the first as Big Ten members . . . The Trojans now lead the overall series, 5-4, as Saturday's loss snapped the Spartans' three-game winning streak over the Trojans . . . Saturday also marked MSU's first regular-season game in the state of California since playing at Cal to start the 2008 season.

OFFENSE NOTES
• MSU scored on its opening possession for the fourth time in as many games this season, as the Spartans have scored a TD on its opening possession all four times.

• The Spartans' 11-play, 87-yard scoring drive in the third quarter matched their longest scoring drive by yardage and was their second-longest by plays, tying and trailing an 87-yard drive in 12-plays vs. Youngstown State . . . the 11-yard scoring drive was MSU's sixth TD drive of 10+ plays and eighth overall with two FG drives . . . the 87-yard scoring drive was the fourth of 80+ yards.

• Junior quarterback Aidan Chiles was 12-for-21 passing for 212 yards with three TDs and zero INTs . . . it was Chiles' third straight game with 200+ yards passing and seventh career game over 200 yards passing.

• The three TDs was Chiles' second game this season with multiple TD passes, with three or more in both times, as Saturday's outing joined his career-high four TDs vs. Boston College (9/6/25) . . . it also marked the fifth multi-TD outing of his career, along with his third career with three or more TDs, as the two outings this season joins the three-TD game vs. Maryland (9/7/24).

• Saturday marked the third game this season that Chiles did not throw an interception, after his streak of five straight games without a pick was snapped last week with an INT in the Youngstown State game after the last three games of 2024 and the first two contests of 2025.

• Chiles rushed for a TD on a 4-yard scamper in the third quarter for his second rushing TD this season and fifth rushing score of his Spartan career as part of his eighth collegiate career TD with three TDs in his freshman season at Oregon State in 2023 . . . Chiles rushed for 31 yards on nine carries.

• Saturday was the second game this season that Chiles both three and ran for a TD in the same game, joining the Boston College (9/6/25) game . . . it was the third time of his Spartan career, joining last year vs. Prairie View A&M (9/14/24).

• Senior wide receiver Omari Kelly had his first 100-yard outing of his Spartan career with six catches for 133 yards and one TD on a 75-yard catch-and-run to the end zone in the fourth quarter . . . it was Kelly's fifth 100-yard outing of his collegiate career after four last season at Middle Tennessee State.

• The TD catch was also Kelly's first as a Spartan and his second scoring catch, joining the game-winning walk-off two-point conversion in the 42-40 2OT Victory for MSU over Boston College (9/6/25) . . . it was Kelly's fifth career receiving TD and seventh overall TD after four receiving and one punt return for a score while at MTSU.

• The 75-yard TD catch was the longest of his collegiate career, topping a 71-yarder while at Middle Tennessee State vs. Western Kentucky (9/14/24).

• Kelly's 75-yard TD reception was the second-longest yardage play of his career behind an 83-yard punt return last week vs. Youngstown State, setting up a 4-yard TD on the first offensive snap.

• Kelly both caught and threw a pass in Saturday's game, becoming the third different Spartan to attempt a pass this season.

• Chiles' first-quarter TD pass to Chrishon McCray was the Spartan QB's 10^th straight game with at least one TD pass . . . it marked the 13th time in 16 games as a Spartan that Chiles has thrown a scoring pass, and the 17th time in his 25 collegiate games after four in nine games during his freshman season at Oregon State in 2023.

• Chiles connected with his fellow Oregon State transfer, senior Jack Velling, for a 1-yard scoring pass in the third quarter . . . it was Velling's second TD catch as a Spartan after one last year and the 13th of his career after 11 during his two seasons at Oregon State (2022-23).

• Sophomore running back Makhi Frazier rushed for 67 yards on 14 carries . . . Frazier had six carries for 41 yards during the Spartans' third-quarter scoring drive that Chiles capped with a 4-yard run, putting the finishing touch on an 11-play, 87-yard scoring drive.

• Redshirt junior wide receiver Chrishon McCray caught the first TD reception of his Spartan career with the first-quarter TD catch . . . it was the 14th receiving TD of McCray's collegiate career after 13 TD catches at Kent State.

• McCray is the fourth different Spartan receiver with a TD catch this season and the ninth different Spartan overall with a TD.

DEFENSE
• Senior defensive back Malik Spencer recorded a career-high two pass break-ups for his first two PBUs of the season; he now has 10 career pass break-ups.

• Spencer shared top team honors with a season-high seven tackles, posting his second game this season with five or more stops.

• Fellow senior defensive back Nikai Martinez matched Spencer with seven tackles, a new season-high for him in only two games, after seeing limited action last week vs. Youngstown State in his return to action from an injury.

• The seven stops by Martinez matched his collegiate career-high, also logging seven tackles last season vs. Oregon (10/4/24).

• Redshirt senior defensive back Armorion Smith posted his first career forced fumble on the fumble recovery in the third quarter . . it was Smith's second created turnover this season, adding an interception in the Youngstown State game last week, and the fourth of his career, now with four with two career interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

• Senior defensive lineman Grady Kelly registered his first fumble recovery as a Spartan and the second of his collegiate career after one during his redshirt-freshman season at Colorado State in 2022.

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Redshirt junior punter Ryan Eckley's 55-yard and 57-yard punts in the second quarter plus another 57-yarder in the third quarter give him nine punts of 50+ yards this season out of his 13 total punts, marking his third game this season in the four contests with at least one punt of 50 or more yards . . . his first punt was not only inside the 20, but was inside the 10, as Eckley now has six of those going inside the 10, while his second punt was fair caught at the 11, giving Eckley nine punts inside the 20.

• The three punts of 50+ yards in a game was his third time in four games with multiple 50+ yard punts.

• Redshirt freshman Martin Connington matched his jersey number with a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter to improve to 5-of-5 on field goals this season through three games played, before missing from 56-yards out to end the first half, and is now 5-of-6.

• Connington was also 4-of-4 on PATs on Saturday, and is now 10-of-10 this season.

Players Mentioned

Aidan Chiles

Martin Connington

Ryan Eckley

Makhi Frazier

Grady Kelly

Omari Kelly

Nikai Martinez

Chrishon McCray

Armorion Smith

Darius Snow

Malik Spencer

Jack Velling

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