Michigan State DC Joe Rossi Reflects on Season Opener, Looks Ahead to Maryland

Joe Rossi's defense thrived in his first game as Michigan State's defensive coordinator.

Michigan State's defensive coordinator Joe Rossi gives instructions while working with linebackers during camp on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, at the indoor practice facility in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's defense dominated for most of the Spartans' season opener against Florida Atlantic last Friday.

The unit earned seven sacks, two interceptions and held the Owls' offense to just 10 points.

There is still work to be done, what with the vast number of penalties, including two that resulted in 15-yard gains for the Owls in the fourth quarter.

All in all, though, fans were encouraged by what they saw from this new-look defense.

Rossi addressed the media on Wednesday, discussing his unit's play in the season opener and the tough task that awaits it in Maryland.

You can watch Rossi's presser below:

Below is a partial transcript from his presser:

Q: Was it a positive keeping the communication errors limited despite so many players in a new system?

Rossi: "Yeah, certainly. We always talk about and stress it. I want it to get better, even than what it was, our staff wants it to get better even than what it was. We did have a lot of guys out there playing; we had a lot of guys who maybe were under the lights for the first time or just playing in their first game here in this stadium. I thought, for the most part, we handled it well. There was a couple occasions where we got to be louder and we got to do it better, and we're emphasizing that this week."

Q: How do the injuries impact the depth in the secondary?

Rossi: "Yeah, I mean, they're two guys [Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed] that are good players that were in the plans to play a lot, and they're not available for the foreseeable future. So, those guys go down and other guys got to step up. I thought Aveon [Grose] did a really nice job; he spent a lot of the week on scouts, and then, all of a sudden, in the game, he's got to come in and he's got to go and play. That won't be the last time that happens. It's a football season. So, some of the younger guys are going to have to be fast-forwarded and be able to give us meaningful snaps."

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