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Wayne Matthews III injury update: Michigan State LB carted off by stretcher following nasty pileup

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh09/21/25griffin_mcveigh
Michigan State's Wayne Matthews III celebrates after a tackle for a loss against Prairie View A&M during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing - Nick King, USA TODAY Sports
Michigan State's Wayne Matthews III celebrates after a tackle for a loss against Prairie View A&M during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing - Nick King, USA TODAY Sports

Less than a minute before Michigan State and USC were supposed to head to the halftime locker room, the Coliseum fell to a hush. Spartans linebacker Wayne Matthews went down with a scary injury following a pileup inside the red zone. Matthews stayed down for a long time before getting stretchered off the field.

What seemed to be a normal USC play on first and goal, Waymond Jordan gained a few yards on the carry. Matthews and a few other Michigan State defenders made the stop before a timeout got called from the sideline. However, players on the field quickly signaled over to the bench for him.

“It was something of a non-descript play,” FOX play-by-play commentator Jason Benetti said on the broadcast. “Pretty immediately, it was clear that Wayne Matthews was going to need help off the field. And we’re thinking of everybody down there right now. Wayne Matthews, centrally.”

Matthews showed some movement in his limbs while down, wiggling his legs at times. The cart eventually came out as both teams watched the moment unfold. A stretcher moved Matthews off the field and into an ambulance parked inside the tunnel.

Eventually, Michigan State gathered in a circle to pray for their teammate before getting the game back underway. You can check out the full moment from Los Angeles here.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III is also on the call, giving a little perspective on what is going through players’ minds at the moment. Neither team wants to see something like this occur, something Griffin says they have to process in real time.

“People forget that football players and stars that you see on TV that these kids at home look up to, they’re human,” Griffin said. “And there’s such a human element to bonding as a team that when you see a guy like that go down, even when you’re on the other team, it hits you. It affects us all. Just want to lift up Wayne Matthews III right now and pray that God keeps his angels encamped around him and his family as he works through this process.”

USC eventually punched the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. Lincoln Riley‘s bunch goes into the break with a 24-10 lead with the goal of starting 2-0 in Big Ten play. However, you have to imagine everyone is thinking about Matthews, hoping he is okay.