Banged-up Elijah Collins, Itayvion Brown unlikely to play in MSU's trip to Miami

East Lansing — As Michigan State gets set to hit the road again on Saturday, it will be a bit shorthanded.

Coach Mel Tucker wasn’t offering a ton of specifics, but it appears the Spartans will be without running back Elijah Collins and defensive end Itayvion Brown when they head to No. 24 Miami for a noon kickoff, and they could be without defensive ends Drew Beesley and Drew Jordan.

Collins was on the verge of becoming a factor once again the running back rotation after running for 32 yards on three carries and scoring on a 20-yard screen, all on the same drive last week in the victory over Youngstown State. However, he injured his left leg on the touchdown scamper and spent the second half on the sideline in a walking boot.

“He’s sore,” Tucker said on Tuesday. “He’ll be ready when he’s ready.”

It proved to be a line Tucker would use more than once, saying the same thing about backup quarterback Anthony Russo, who apparently was injured late in the win over Youngstown State.

As for Brown, who did not play last week after appearing in the opener at Northwestern, Tucker said he does not expect the Minnesota transfer to be available this week. He did say Beesley and Jordan, who each also did not play against Youngstown State, are prepping to play this week at Miami.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau