Michigan State got off to one of its best starts defensively all season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers last Saturday. The Spartans quickly found themselves on the positive side in turnover margin early on the road, forcing two-straight fumbles and recovering both to open the game. But, the offense struggled, mustering just two field goals after starting inside the Minnesota 35-yard line on both of those drives.

The defense continued to keep the Spartans in the game, though, blocking a field goal, forcing a third turnover in the second half and holding the Gophers to 10 total points through three quarters. But, it wasn't enough. A late surge by Minnesota, an ineffective Spartan offense, odd coaching decisions and a gassed defense handed Michigan State its sixth-straight loss.

Now, Michigan State will head into November looking for its first Power Five win of the year.

Let's get into this week's takeaways.

It's no secret that the defensive side of the ball has been an issue since Mel Tucker was hired, specifically when defending the pass, and with Tucker now fired, the unit has shown some improvement throughout the year. After a nightmare game against Michigan on Oct. 21, the way that the defense started against Minnesota was a great thing to see for Spartan fans,

For most of the game, the defense kept the Spartans in it. After forcing two turnovers on the first two drives of the game, it looked like a promising sight. But, given how often the unit was on the field, the defenders didn't have enough left in the tank at the end, and the Golden Gophers pulled away late. Minnesota ran 72 plays to MSU's 55, and dominated time of possession by a tally of 36:08-23:52. The defense played well for the majority of the game, but was spent by the end of the contest.

That said, the run defense was disappointing, as Minnesota was without many of its top running backs, including Darius Taylor. Jordan Nubin stepped up for the Gophers in a big way and rushed 40 times for 204 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

But, overall, I think that performance is something the defense can build off of to finish off the season with some semblance of success. If the offensive issues can get sorted out, and the defense can continue to play at the level it did for three quarters on Saturday, then perhaps the Spartans can find a win or two in November.

The quarterback situation is interesting right now. Interim head coach Harlon Barnett has said since he made Katin Houser the starter that he was the guy and didn't need to be looking over his shoulder. But now, after two dud weeks in a row (granted, one was against a national-championship caliber defense in Michigan, Houser might be feeling some pressure after all.

True freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt came in during the fourth quarter and gave a spark to the offense. He scored the Spartans' lone touchdown on Saturday. Leavitt led an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive that he capped off with a nine-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyrell Henry.

Leavitt finished the game 8-for-12 passing for 73 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also added a team-leading 52 rushing yards. He did also lose a fumble. Houser struggled, and was 12-for-22 passing for just 117 yards. So, Leavitt had turnover issues, but Houser had trouble sustaining drives and getting any momentum going.

Leavitt has shown some really impressive flashes of his talent, and very well could be a future star in East Lansing. The issue is managing his redshirt. Leavitt has now played in three games. With four games left, do you burn his redshirt to get him experience for the future? Or, do you sit him? Especially considering in order to make a bowl game at this point, the Spartans would need to run the table, which would include unlikely wins at Ohio State and at Ford Field against Penn State. While not impossible, the last six games have not instilled any confidence that the team is capable of even hanging with either of those two teams.

So, Barnett has a decision to make. Could Leavitt be enough to win you a game or two down this last stretch? Are those wins important enough that you'd like to burn his redshirt? Or, do you preserve his eligibility for his future, whether that is in East Lansing with the next regime or somewhere else?

With that said, Leavitt spoke to the media last week and did not seem too concerned about burning his redshirt. He wants to play.

While this has been a rough season for Michigan State overall, perhaps a positive is that the young talent on the team is evident. Several true freshmen made impactful plays against Minnesota, while second-year players continue to play big roles for the Spartans as well.

As mentioned, Leavitt came in during the fourth quarter and immediately led a touchdown drive for an offense that was unable to find an end zone through three quarters of play. He was also MSU's highest-graded offensive player against Minnesota, according to Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 88.6.

Sticking with the offense, true freshman tight end Brennan Parachek saw extended playing time with Maliq Carr out. He made one reception for 13 points, and was Michigan State's highest-graded tight end (60.7).

Defensively, true freshman linebacker Jordan Hall recorded nine total tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble. He was the third-highest graded defensive player for the Spartans (70.5).

Another true freshman defender who has seen more playing time over the past two game is defensive lineman Jalen Thompson. Thompson had three total tackles, and two tackles for loss. He was MSU's second-highest graded run defender with a grade of 70.1.

Chance Rucker continues to start at cornerback as a true freshman. He recorded three tackles and a pass break-up, and he was the Spartans' second-highest graded player in pass coverage (70.0), behind only sophomore safety Jaden Mangham (77.4).

Speaking of Mangham, he recorded his third interception of the season on Saturday, which leads the team, and had two total tackles. Sophomore Malik Spencer, a fellow defensive back had six tackles against the Gophers, and is second on the team in total tackles this season with 53. Spencer was also Michigan State's highest graded run defender in the game versus Minnesota with a mark of 74.0.

In what seems like a lost season at this point, is it time for Michigan State to lean into the youth movement? Perhaps. We will see if that is the case or not.

With just one month left in the season, Michigan State is still looking for a conference win. There's been flashes of the ability to pick one up, but the Spartans just haven't been able to put together a complete game as of yet.

Now, with nothing left to lose, it will be interesting to see what happens these next few weeks. There are still two "winnable" games left on the schedule, which means there are opportunities to find some momentum as the team heads into a critical offseason.

That starts on Saturday against a Nebraska team riding some success. A senior day win would go a long way in bouncing back and finding those positives to carry into the offseason.

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