The Spartans' offense will be without what's widely considered to their best player for their upcoming trip to Madison in Week 5 .
Tailback Cam Edwards , who had logged 339 total yards of offense and four touchdowns through three games and change, has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 season with a knee injury. The tailback left the field on a cart in Michigan State 's loss to Nebraska in Week 4, and was subsequently spotted on crutches. The injury was feared to be severe initially, and now, head coach Pat Fitzgerald has officially ruled Edwards out for the remainder of his debut season in East Lansing.
Edwards was easily the Spartans' most productive offensive player through three weeks. He led their backfield with 304 rushing yards and three scores on 64 carries (4.8 yards per carry). Michigan State's next-most productive backs, Jaziun Patterson and Marvis Parrish, had 26 carries for 100 yards and 18 for 56, respectively - Edwards was the clear bell-cow back.
The UConn transfer was easily the most dynamic player on an offense that's struggled to move the ball consistently in 2026. The Spartans scored a combined 23 points the past two weeks in losses to Notre Dame and Nebraska, garnering just 424 total yards of offense across the two defeats.
Edwards, however, had been one of the few bright spots. According to Pro Football Focus, 222 of the running back's 304 rushing yards came after contact, and he'd forced 14 missed tackles. His long run of 40 yards is the Spartans' longest rush this season.
In Edwards' stead, the aforementioned duo of Patterson and Parrish should take over at the top of Michigan State's running back room. It'll be interesting to see how Devon Spalding, the Spartans' current running backs coach and former Wisconsin running backs coach from 2023-2025, handles the absence of his star player against his former team.
This is a particularly tough blow for Michigan State considering what lies ahead of it. Wisconsin's run defense has been largely stifling, and it's going to be tough to go on the road into Camp Randall Stadium and win without establishing the run. A lot more pressure now falls on Spartans' quarterback Alessio Milivojevic to pilot this offense to victory.
As Wisconsin looks to stack its fourth win in a row this weekend , the Badgers' defense just caught a big break. Mike Tressel's unit should be thoroughly expected to handle business against the Spartans.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Michigan State Loses its Best Offensive Player Ahead of Clash With Wisconsin .
