The answer came on the very next play. Redshirt freshman Rustin Young joined the huddle and went on to hold down the left tackle spot for the remainder of the game.

Rustin Young — a name unfamiliar to many Spartan fans. Before stepping in against USC, he had played just 44 offensive snaps, redshirting last season after appearing in only one game.

“He’s [Young] really quiet, he’s not an extrovert. He really kind of keeps to himself,” redshirt senior center Matt Gulbin said about his teammate at Tuesday’s media availability. “But he’s just a really good dude, works his butt off, and I think he’s going to be a good player.

Needless to say, his workload against USC was unlike anything he had previously experienced in East Lansing. By the time the final whistle blew, he had played 51 of 60 total snaps — totaling more snaps in one game than in his entire college career up to that point.

“Coach M [Michalczik] has always preached everyone’s got to be ready to play. Nobody’s expecting anything less or anything more. Next man up, you got to do your job,” Gulbin said. “I think Rustin Young did a really good job last week. So I’m fired up for him and seeing his growth.”

His heavy workload may have seemed sudden, but his rise to the field shouldn’t come as a surprise — the talent has always been there. According to 247Sports, he was ranked the No. 18 offensive tackle in his class and the top overall player from Hawaii, making him the Spartans’ second-highest-rated recruit in 2024, behind star wide receiver Nick Marsh. Young originally committed to Oregon State before flipping to MSU to follow head coach Jonathan Smith.

With redshirt junior Luka Vincic out for the season and Ramil’s injury appearing long term, the Spartans are suddenly down two key pieces on the offensive line. The losses create an opening for a young player to step up — and Young’s performance at USC may have given the coaches a glimpse of their solution at left tackle moving forward.

“Rustin got thrown in there in the first quarter and he did some good things throughout the night … USC presented some problems on the edge, and I thought Rustin held his own,” Smith said at Monday’s press conference. “Now that you had the bye [week] to take a look at a couple of different options … Can’t say today exactly how we’ll play that out.”

Young helped the offensive line hold its own against a talented USC pass rush. The Trojans entered the matchup averaging 4.7 sacks per game but managed to bring down the quarterback just twice. Now comes Nebraska, which should present a more favorable matchup for the MSU offensive line.

The Cornhuskers are currently averaging only one sack per game and had just one in their most recent outing against No. 21 Michigan. It could be the perfect chance for Young to continue his development and earn his first career start against a less disruptive pass rush.

The Spartans will look to exploit Nebraska’s weakness in the trenches, aiming to keep their quarterback upright and establish the run game — two factors that could decide Saturday’s matchup at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 4 p.m.