EAST LANSING – Elijah Tau-Tolliver hauled in a one-handed catch before being dropped just shy of the first down marker.

With Michigan State up 7-3 in the first quarter and facing fourth-and-1 from its own 34-yard line, coach Jonathan Smith kept the offense on the field against UCLA.

The gamble backfired as Makhi Frazier was stuffed and the Bruins took over. It proved to be a major turning point as UCLA turned the opportunity into seven of 38 straight points in a 38-13 win on Saturday at Spartan Stadium .

“Less than a yard, yeah, that’s on me,” Smith said.

Michigan State (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) opened the game with a three-and-out defensively then quarterback Aidan Chiles led a 10-play drive he capped with a 2-yard touchdown run for an early 7-0 lead. Then the wheels completely fell off fo

See Full Page