BREAKING: Michigan State tailback likely out for the season, Harlon Barnett says
This offseason, one of the biggest talking points coming out of Michigan State football and then-head coach Mel Tucker was the Spartans' renewed efforts to keep players healthy during the 2023 season.
That, along with just about everything else this year, has not gone to plan.
On Monday, interim head coach Harlon Barnett told reporters he expects running back Jalen Berger to miss the remainder of the Spartans' season due to injury.
"Jalen is probably going to be done for the rest of the year," Barnett said. "I'm not going to give specifics but you saw him come off the field and I wish nothing but the best for him obviously in his healing."
The redshirt junior, who transferred to Michigan State from Wisconsin ahead of the 2022 season, has battled ailments throughout 2023 but has played in each of the last two games for MSU. However, Berger went down again during Michigan State's 49-0 loss to No. 2 Michigan on Saturday, and Barnett does not expect the junior to return as of now.
Despite limited production due to the aforementioned injury troubles, Berger is the second-leading rusher for the Spartans this season. The junior has recorded 93 yards on 25 carries with a rushing touchdown, and has also contributed in the pass game with five catches for 40 yards. UConn transfer Nathan Carter has received the lion's share of the carries for MSU this season, and leads the teams with 130 carries for 565 yards and four touchdowns.
Berger began the season as the backup to Carter, but suffered an apparent leg injury during Michigan State's Week 2 win over Richmond that sidelined him for the next two games. After returning in Week 5 at Iowa, the redshirt junior had his best showing of the season two weekends ago at Rutgers when he rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries against the Scarlet Knights. In 17 games as a Spartan, Berger has rushed for 776 yards on 173 carries (4.5 yards per carry) with seven touchdowns. He's added 24 total receptions for an additional 168 receiving yards. Berger spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Wisconsin.
If Berger were to indeed be listed as 'Out' for the season, he would join linebacker Jacoby Windmon, safety Armorion Smith, defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, running back Jaelon Barbarin and offensive linemen Stanton Ramil and Gavin Broscious in that unfortunate distinction.
In the midst of a five-game losing streak, Michigan State (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) travels to Minnesota (4-3, 2-2) this Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN) as an eight-point underdog.
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