Game Week: Michigan State's Jonathan Smith Speaks on Season Opener

Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith is just days away from his first game as the Spartans' head coach.

Aidan Champion

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State football will finally play its first game under Coach Jonathan Smith this week.

Smith, who spent the last six years as the head coach at Oregon State, moved to East Lansing this offseason, bringing with him six coaches and three players from Corvallis.

After a long offseason of adjustments, Smith and the Spartans are finally set to take the field when they host Florida Atlantic on Friday.

Smith discussed the season opener while addressing the media on Monday. You can watch his press conference below:

Below is Smith's opening statement:

"Well, it's always an exciting time of year. Getting closer to kicking off Friday night, and I know our guys are excited. About 7 o'clock. There's been a lot of work put in. Not just this last couple of months, look at the months ... all the way back to January. Really proud of these guys for the work that they put in. We got a few more days to take advantage of; just walked off the practice field today. But guys are looking forward to playing in front of a packed house. And the fans and students, welcoming them back to campus here, [school] started today. And so, it's something that we've been working really hard at getting there. I was pleased with how kind of fall camp went. I thought there was some competition in it throughout. These guys have been working against each other, and now, I know they're excited to get someone else on the other side of the line of scrimmage. That team that's coming in -- Coach [Tom] Herman, got a bunch of respect for him. He's done it at a high level at multiple places. He's in Year 2 at Florida Atlantic. I know they'll be bringing in a challenge for us that we're going to have to be ready for. Also proud of the captains we announced the other day. Those five guys, I think, will represent us well. And then, a huge part of that has been trying to build this culture and doing it together; those five guys have stood out with a vote that was from their teammates, and five guys that we're part of with Mav [Maverick Hansen], Tanner [Miller], Jordan [Turner], Aidan [Chiles] and Nate [Carter]. So, with that, again, I'm looking forward to Friday night. Obviously, my first experience but counting on a crowd of fans and students that can really help us throughout the game."

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