EAST LANSING — Michigan State football's already-hampered offensive line suffered another injury to a starter on the first drive against Northwestern. Senior left guard David Beedle left the game after the second play with a left arm injury, becoming the second player missing from the 19th-ranked Spartans' offensive line Saturday. Sophomore right guard Kevin Jarvis is not in uniform for the game, missing last week's win over Central Michigan with a right ankle injury he suffered against Indiana. Live blog:Join the conversation during Michigan State vs. Northwestern Luke Campbell came in on the offensive line to start the second quarter. There are two redshirt freshmen at guard, Blake Bueter on the right side in place of Jarvis and Matt Carrick on the left side in place of Beedle. It is unclear if Beedle will return. Cole Chewins did not start, but he came in for MSU on its third drive. MSU running back LJ Scott is in uniform again, but Connor Heyward started and got all of the reps on the first two drives. Weston Bridges and La'Darius Jefferson came in on the third drive, which ended in a field goal after Brandon Sowards dropped a diving attempt for a touchdown. Receiver Darrell Stewart Jr., who missed last week's game against CMU , returned to the lineup. Cornerback Josh Butler started after playing one play against the Chippewas. MSU is without WR Cody White, P Jake Hartbarger, CB Josiah Scott, WR Jalen Nailor, FB Collin Lucas, WR Andre Welch and TE Noah Davis, among others. Download:Spartans Xtra app is a must-have for the Green and White faithful Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.<doc-sep>EAST LANSING, MI - AUGUST 31: Cody White #7 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his first half touchdown with LJ Scott #3 while playing the Utah State Aggies at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Michigan State Football: Changes must be made after Northwestern loss by Connor Muldowney Michigan State football is far from full-strength with a crucial Big Ten matchup against Northwestern on Saturday. Who’ll be out in Week 6? Heading into a big Week 6 matchup with Northwestern, Michigan State hopes to get back some of its key players from injury. Must Read: MSU football: 5 bold predictions for October 2018 The Spartans have been bitten hard by the injury bug in recent weeks, losing star wide out Cody White against Central Michigan to a broken hand. The Spartans were already down two receivers before that game, but they could be down three key contributors in the receiving corps on Saturday. Will Brian Lewerke get his horses back or will he have to improvise with Felton Davis III being the only true healthy option with extended experience? Here’s the list of injured players for both sides, courtesy of Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State Out: WR Cody White, P Jake Hartbarger, CB Tyson Smith, CB Josiah Scott Questionable: CB Josh Butler, RB LJ Scott, FB Collin Lucas, RG Kevin Jarvis, WR Darrell Stewart Jr., WR Jalen Nailor, WR Cam Chambers, DE Dillon Alexander, DT Mufi Hill-Hunt, TE Noah Davis, LB Ed Warriner, LB Chase Kline, OL James Ohonba, RB Alante Thomas Probable: LT Cole Chewins, LG/LT Luke Campbell, LG David Beedle Northwestern Out: RB Jeremy Larkin Questionable: OL J.B. Butler, OL Blake Hance, OL Tommy Doles, LB Khalid Jones, DT Ben Oxley, DB Greg Newsome II, LB Nate Hall, TE Trey Pugh, WR Jalen Brown Though the Spartans have three ‘probables’ on the left side of the offensive line, it’s clear that this group is hurting. Cole Chewins, Luke Campbell and David Beedle are all ailing, but likely to give it a go on Saturday afternoon. Northwestern, too, is ailing, and there’s a good chance the Wildcats will be without some key defenders against the Spartans. You never want to see both sides at less than 100 percent, but we’re at that point in the year when injuries begin to pile up. We’ll see if LJ Scott, Jalen Nailor, Cam Chambers or Darrell Stewart can bounce back this week to aid the struggling offense.<doc-sep>David Beedle decided to play hobbled after hurting his leg at Arizona State. And then Michigan State’s starting left guard injured his left arm Saturday in a 29-19 loss to Northwestern. He is expected to miss a month, leaving the Spartans’ already injury-ravaged offensive line even more banged up. Running back LJ Scott has not played with an ankle injury for the third straight week. It was his choice to sit out all three weeks, coach Mark Dantonio said on his teleconference Sunday night. Two different seniors. Two different positions. Two different approaches. One common thread: MSU’s medical chart of who can and cannot play continues to affect the Spartans’ inability to run the ball. “It’s game-time decisions. He’s making that decision based on how he feels, his cutting ability, et cetera,” Dantonio said of Scott, who has 103 yards rushing on 30 carries in six quarters and two snaps this season. “Obviously, he’s close. He needs to make that decision. That’s not for me to sit there and say, ‘You need to play.' I think that’s every individual player’s decision to make. “I think he’s close, but I don’t think he feels like he can cut as successfully as he usually does, so he makes that decision. And I’m OK with whatever he needs to do. At some point, he’ll be ready to play.” Scott’s status for the game Saturday when MSU (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) travels to No. 8 Penn State (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) remains unclear. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network. More:Michigan State football yet to fix its issues. Can it before Penn State? More:Michigan State has problems galore in 29-19 loss to Northwestern Using sophomore Connor Heyward and true freshman La’Darius Jefferson in Scott’s absence, neither of whom was a full-time running back in high school, MSU is averaging just 123 rushing yards per game. The Spartans’ two longest runs of the season are by wide receivers — Jalen Nailor’s 75-yard TD at Indiana and Felton Davis III’s 48-yard score Saturday in the loss to the Wildcats. They also used fourth-stringer Weston Bridges and fifth-string walk-on Alante Thomas against Northwestern. MSU got just 33 yards on 13 carries from its four running backs Saturday. “You gotta be able to run the ball,” Dantonio said. “I feel like you have to be able to run the ball to some degree. We were unable to do that.” Beedle — who got hurt late in the Arizona State game but came off the bench two weeks later at Indiana — walked off the field two plays into Saturday’s game with his left arm dangling, and he returned after halftime in street clothes and a sling. It is another in a long line of injuries this season to MSU’s offensive line, which was expected to return four starters but has dealt with physical issues to each of those returnees. Sophomore right guard Kevin Jarvis hurt his right ankle at Indiana and has not played the past two games. Third-year left tackle Cole Chewins got hurt in early August and slowly has been getting more reps, though he has been coming off the bench. Sophomore Luke Campbell, who began the year at left tackle and now has been shifted to guard, also got banged up at Indiana and has not started the past two weeks. Those injuries have led to constant shuffling and significant playing time Saturday at guard for two redshirt freshmen: Blake Bueter, who made his first career start in place of Jarvis, and Matt Carrick, who debuted on the offensive line in place of Beedle after working on field-goal and extra-point units. Dantonio said he does not expect to move anyone from the defensive line to offensive line during the season to help offset the injuries and increase depth, though MSU did that with Brandon Clemons throughout his career. “We’ll restructure things and look at it and play our best player,” Dantonio said, “but I expect us to play and play well.” MSU is also missing wide receivers Cody White (broken hand) and Jalen Nailor (undisclosed), but the Spartans got Cam Chambers (undisclosed) and Darrell Stewart Jr. (left ankle) back against Northwestern. Dantonio pointed to Stewart’s struggles Saturday as a reason why skill position players may want to rest an ailing ankle. “Darrell Stewart went with it a little bit. He was not as effective as he usually is,” Dantonio said. “I think when you’re carrying the ball, you need to be able to make sharp cuts. You need to be able to move in and out of things when you’re running the football and take the hits and all the different things that go on underneath piles and that kind of stuff.” No Dawn of Don With all of the problems on offense, including criticism of co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner, Dantonio was asked if he would collaborate with former offensive coordinator Don Treadwell to try and find a fix. Dantonio quickly dismissed that idea. “I did not hire him to do that, so I’m not gonna put him in that situation,” Dantonio said. Treadwell was hired earlier this year as MSU’s 10th assistant coach, a new rule passed by the NCAA that began this season. There were no restrictions for how schools could use the position, but Dantonio assigned Treadwell to be the Spartans’ defensive backs assistant and freshman head coach. Jones penalty Dantonio said he planned to check with the Big Ten about why Naquan Jones was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter Saturday. The sophomore defensive tackle celebrated as he was getting up over a Northwestern player he had tackled when the flag flew. “We’ll send that in and ask that very question,” Dantonio said. Dantonio pointed to that penalty as a “frustration point.” “There’s some things you cannot control, and that’s the attitude I have to take with things,” Dantonio said. “I can’t complain about it, because they’re not going to reline things up for us and say, ‘Let’s play that play over.’” Related:Michigan State football can't contain Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. 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East Lansing — It’s not the sole answer to what ails Michigan State, but there’s little doubt the mounting injuries are having a significant impact on the Spartans’ production. It was at the center of the problems again on Saturday as Northwestern came to Spartan Stadium and walked away with a victory for the third straight time, this one a 29-19 win after Michigan State’s offense continued to be stuck in the mud for long stretches. A big reason, it seems, is the players who are missing or are limited to some extent. “I'm never going to stand up here and make excuses to say we should've not have won the game because we had too many injuries,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. “I think we still had opportunities to win the game even at the end of the game.” That’s true, the offense couldn’t execute. How much of that is on injuries? It’s hard to say, but the Spartans were without running back LJ Scott (ankle) for the third straight game while it was the first full game without wide receiver Cody White (hand) and receiver Jalen Nailor missed his second game. Right guard Kevin Jarvis (ankle) also missed his second straight game while guard David Beedle got hurt on the opening drive and missed the rest of the game. On top of that, wide receiver Darrell Stewart Jr. (ankle) was limited, as was left tackle Cole Chewins, though he saw his most significant action of the season. “You know, guys get opportunities to step up,” co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner said. “Darrell didn't practice a lot this week and had a couple of busts out there because he was not practicing during the week. That really set him back a little bit. Whoever steps on the field has got to play, bottom line.” But missing two starting receivers — White and Stewart — had an impact on Felton Davis, who still managed a couple of touchdowns despite getting hounded. But he sees the offense pressing, trying to make up for the loss in personnel. “Sometimes I feel like (quarterback Brian Lewerke) puts pressure on himself to make plays,” Davis said. “It’s also kind of hard when the O-line shuffles around and is not able to gel as a unit. He’s not able to go through his reads.” The rushing attack, one that has been inconsistent all year, has also suffered. The Spartans gained 96 yards but 48 came on one play from Davis — a receiver. Getting Scott back might help, but the offensive line needs help, too. “LJ is critical to winning, and he's a really dynamic back that we need,” sophomore running back Connor Heyward said. “Me kind of playing off him and him playing off me, so often we put teams on their heels. LJ is a very good back and hopefully he can get back as soon as possible.” More: Vulnerability to big play hurt Spartans again More: Davis a steady force in MSU's sputtering offense Chambers returns Sophomore wide receiver Cam Chambers was back after missing last week’s game against Central Michigan and made the most of his opportunity, catching a career-high five passes for 82 yards. He entered the game with just five catches in his career. “It's challenging,” Chambers said of being patient. “But it's things you learn, like to battle adversity and become a man and stand tall and just wait your turn, and you'll be ready to go when the opportunity presents itself.” Redshirt freshman C.J. Hayes had his first catch, a 13-yarder, while senior Brandon Sowards had a career-best three catches. Extra points Sophomore kicker Matt Coghlin established a school record for consecutive field goals by making his 16th straight on a 25-yarder with 2:50 left in the second quarter. He made his 15th in a row on a 27-yarder in the first quarter. He surpassed Brett Swenson, who made 15 straight in 2008. … Freshman punter Tyler Hunt placed a career-high five of his seven punts inside the 20 and had a career-long 63-yarder. … Junior defensive end Kenny Willekes tied a season high with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. He now has a team-high eight TFLs this season. mcharboneau@detroitnews.com Twitter: @mattcharboneau