The Bruins have been on a roll this season after only winning three games all of last year, because of the heroic coaching ability of their new head coach, Bob Chesney, who came to the school from JMU.
He was able to bring a lot of his own players with him, and his team will be a huge chance for the Spartans' head coach Pat Fitzgerald to prove himself as a head coach. However, there is one player who Chesney did not bring over from JMU who will be difficult to deal with.
That player is Semaj Morgan, who has been excelling under both Nico Iamaleava and new quarterback Ty Dieffenbach , and he will be someone MSU needs to watch for despite the monster rushing game UCLA has up its sleeve.
Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on during the fourth quarter in the game against Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Morgan naturally flies under the radar because of how great the Bruins' rushing game is, as they have three strong rushers and even Wayne Knight, who is one of the best running backs in the nation at the moment, despite a rough outing against Wisconsin.
Therefore, he fits his role perfectly as a surprise weapon that UCLA is able to bring to his fullest potential through the space that is created because of their rushing game.
However, nothing matters if he does not execute, which at first this season it looked like he was not going to be able to do. His first game, he only had a couple of receptions for barely over a dozen yards. Then he had a great few games before struggling again against Maryland.
He was able to get going once more against the Oregon Ducks, but if there was any time to step up, it was against the Wisconsin Badgers, who are generally good against the pass. He then had five receptions for 84 total yards with a new quarterback distributing the ball.
Morgan has been a pillar of consistency and playing great when it matters most, and with how depleted the Spartans' defense is at the moment, a lot of effort still needs to go to making sure Morgan is not able to get things going.
Other teams in the Big Ten have been able to hold him to under 20 yards and no scores before. MSU must do the same to avoid being caught off guard and having their small chance to win being fully taken away.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as One Underrated UCLA Weapon Michigan State Must Monitor .
