LOS ANGELES – Michigan State opened Big Ten play with a loss on the other side of the country.

The Spartans (3-1, 0-1) rallied to make it a one-score game heading into the fourth quarter before No. 25 USC (4-0, 2-0) pulled away for a 45-31 win on Saturday night .

Here are quick observations and takeaways from the game:

– A loss is a loss and Michigan State finished 14 points shy of USC while being overmatched in multiple areas but this team, especially in the second half, showed something. Maybe something a different group wouldn’t or couldn’t a year ago in the same situation against a potent offense.

The Spartans were playing in a game that didn’t kick off until after 11 p.m. Eastern. It was 2:55 a.m. in East Lansing when the clock hit zeros and the visitors left Los Angeles Memori

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