Michigan State's Victory Over Florida Atlantic Keeps Unique Win Streak Alive
Michigan State got the Jonathan Smith era off to a positive start with a close but satisfying victory in Coach Smith’s first game in East Lansing.
The Spartans took on the Florida Atlantic Owls in a Friday night opening game that gave everyone watching and in attendance an idea of what to expect from Michigan State’s football team.
Coach Smith and Michigan State beat Florida Atlantic by a score of 16-10, coming short of covering the double-digit spread that oddsmakers had on the matchup before the game started.
The Big Ten confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Spartans' victory over the Owls marked the 15th consecutive non-conference home-opening win for Michigan State’s football program, a Big Ten conference record.
Smith used the first game in multiple ways. During the game against Florida Atlantic, Michigan State hosted numerous recruits for future recruiting classes. Smith also saw his team in action against another team in a meaningful game for the first time, giving Smith and his coaching staff a clear idea of the team’s strengths and weaknesses as they prepare for the next game.
During fall camp, Smith said the team’s defense was slightly ahead of the offense, development-wise. That appeared to be the case against Florida Atlantic, as the Spartans’ defense had a productive game, but the Spartans’ offense struggled at times. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 114 yards but no touchdowns while throwing two interceptions.
Michigan State running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams led the team with 101 rushing yards, including a 63-yard touchdown run. After taking a 16-3 lead into halftime, Michigan State’s offense failed to score any points in the second half, making it a much closer game than many people expected heading into the matchup.
The Spartans open up conference play next week with a road game against Maryland, which will likely be a much more difficult matchup than Michigan State’s game against Florida Atlantic. Smith and the Spartans aim to improve between now and next week's matchup against the Terrapins. If Michigan State hopes to pull off an upset on the road, it will need to have a better showing to have a shot at making it happen.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.