EAST LANSING, Mich. -- This has to be rock bottom, right? Having the other 0-6 team in Big Ten conference play take a 35-0 lead at halftime and cruise to an breezy victory? It can't get worse than that.

Can it?

(Gulp.)

Make no mistake: The rebuilding process at Rutgers is going to be a much heavier lift than anyone imagined, and that list likely includes head coach Chris Ash. The Spartans, a participant in the college football playoff last season, are certainly better than their 2-7 record indicated.

But this is a team that lost to Illinois last week, that gave up 54 points to Northwestern, that has endured an injury-plagued season from hell. And it outclassed Rutgers in every facet of the game.

The biggest issue? It is hard not to feel like, after 10 games, that the Scarlet Knights are back to square zero. The same problems that plagued them in Week 1 are an issue now, a list that includes ...

1. Quarterback. Again. Well, at least now we know why the coaching staff didn't give Gio Rescigno a shot to run this offense sooner. The sophomore was due to take a step back, but this seemed more like an end-over-end tumble. He completed just six of his 16 passes for 40 yards with two interceptions, including a pick six.

A big part of what made Rescigno seem like a good captain for this offense was his ability to run the ball. But on Saturday, he had just one rushing attempt for one yard, which makes you wonder if that hamstring injury suffered late in the Minnesota game on Oct. 22 is still bothering him. And, if he is, why is he out there at all?

2. Playcalling. Again. Rutgers was already down 21-0 but had a promising drive to the Michigan State 27. Then, on third and eight, offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer called an inside run to Justin Goodwin. He was dropped for a three-yard loss.

There are many things to hate about the call. Why was Goodwin in the game and not the more talented Robert Martin, who had given the offense a spark on the previous drive? Why not throw the ball on third and long? And, to top it off, Ash called for a punt on fourth down.

Rutgers punted from the Michigan State 30-yard line, early in the second quarter, down 21 points. Sort of says it all.

3. Blocking. Again. This is a sobering thought: Michigan State, a team with a Big Ten low seven sacks this season in its first nine games, started two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and a redshirt sophomore on its defense line and still dominated upfront.

That it comes against a Rutgers line with two redshirt seniors and a redshirt junior makes it more troubling. This is a game where the Scarlet Knights should have had an advantage up front, and instead, they were outmuscled again, and to compensate, fell into bad habits. Left tackle Tariq Cole, for example, had a pair of first-half holding penalties.

4. Tackling. Again. The idea that the rushing defense had taken a nice step forward last week in the loss to Indiana can be put to rest. This defense not only lacks talent (we have chronicled that endlessly).

This defense lacks fundamentals, and in the 10th game of the season, that's troubling. Michigan State rushed for 277 yards on 50 carries, with five different Spartan runners having a run of at least 14 yards. Oh, and Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor completed 10 of 15 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns.

5. Effort. And that's new. The Scarlet Knights haven't always been good this season -- I'll take "massive understatements" for $400, Alex -- but at least they've shown fight and effort. That, for the first time this season, was a missing element, too.

Rutgers looked flat from the opening minutes, and once they fell behind 21-0, the team looking like it was waiting for the minutes to click off the clock. Maybe the players had poured everything it had left into a pair of close losses in the past two games. Maybe they're just worn out from the physical beating. Either way, it's hard to blame them.

LISTEN: Episode 6 of NJ.com's Rutgers Football podcast

Rebuilding Rutgers: From The Ashes takes you inside the new football regime. This episode is a 10-year anniversary retrospect of Rutgers' greatest win.



Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.