“We didn’t play well enough to earn a win or earn a chance to continue playing,” MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said postgame.

The game wasn’t always out of reach for MSU. Following the opening kickoff, the Spartans came out of the gate with powerful and open-laned running, crafting a first drive that spelled success. In only five plays, the Spartans rolled down the field and scored on a 26-yard touchdown run by junior running back Nate Cater to go up 7-0.

It marked the last time MSU would hold a lead in its 2024 season as Rutgers followed with a five-play touchdown drive of its own to quickly stem the tide. 

“I think there's been a consistent thing of having this mentality of ‘We don't have to finish games,'" MSU sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles said. “I don't have the attitude. So I've never seen that before, and it's sickening, it's disheartening.”

Blunders and mistakes the Spartans have dealt with all season again bit them when it mattered most Saturday, and from the second drive on, the Spartans were burdened for defeat. Their quick falloff was a combination of many errors, like a poor long-snap on a punt to put Rutgers on MSU's one-yard-line in the first quarter. Then, a missed connection between Chiles and wide receiver Jaron Glover washed away a possible touchdown had Chiles hit Glover in stride.  

Finally came MSU's 70 yards worth of penalties, some of them negating key gains or stops. One holding penalty negated a 48-yard run by Carter which would have set the Spartans up for first and goal. Instead, they were forced to punt. Likewise, an MSU offsides penalty on fourth and one moved the chains for the Scarlet Knights, eventually helping them extend their lead to 20-7. 

With the mistakes continuing to feed off each other, MSU presented a breakable defense and stone-cold offense outside of the game's first drive. The Spartans finished with 253 total yards to Rutgers' 365. 

“It’s definitely frustrating that (mistakes) are still happening in game 12, and it's frustrating that it's happening in every room,” MSU junior tight end Jack Velling said. “On the flip side, there is that motivation, that feeling in the locker room, that feeling that I have right now that’s going to motivate us through the offseason to come back and do better next year.”

It was the Rutgers rushing game that delivered the biggest blow to MSU as senior running back Kyle Monangai stayed patient, using both his speed and power to continuously deliver chunk plays to wear down the Spartans. The injury-riddled Spartans had trouble wrapping Monangai up all game as he finished with 31 rushes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Rutgers finished with 208 rushing yards in a wet environment that made it tough for either team to contain the edge. MSU's rushing attack quieted down significantly after its first drive. 

The Spartans tried to replicate what Monangai and Rutgers were able to do running the football, but fell short. MSU had a respectable day on the ground but lacked the explosiveness shown by its counterpart. MSU running backs Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Carter combined for 16 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. 

In a must-win game, the Spartans' lack of competitiveness against a team like Rutgers was yet another sign that MSU is still early in its rebuild, suffering its third straight losing season with the loss. The Spartans will have to wait another year for the chance to play postseason football.

“To the fans that stayed through the game, through the whole game and the whole season, this will not be the same next year. And I can promise you that,” Chiles said.