MSU Coach Jonathan Smith Analyzes His First Game vs. Michigan
Michigan State entered their matchup with Michigan looking to go on another win streak to start the second half of the season, after opening up the season on a three-game winning streak.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, they were unable to pull off a second consecutive, which would been a monumental win for Coach Jonathan Smith in his first season in East Lansing.
Coach Smith and his coaching staff have already reached last season's win total. They have experienced plenty of issues since arriving in East Lansing, but that has not slowed any of their progress or enthusiasm. In just over half a season, Smith has proved he is the man for the job, regardless of what their record is.
Smith has instantly changed the culture in and surrounding Michigan State's football program.
However, even after all he had done in short time, Smith had yet to coach against Michigan or in Ann Arbor. Both were a first-time experience for Smith. Unfortunately, he did not get the results he and the team had worked hard on for some time. Although he coached rivalry games elsewhere, noted that playing the sport, Michigan State's rivarly with Michigan is one of the oldest and best in the country.
"Experiencing it, yeah, it's passionate,” Smith said. “Neither side likes each other, and that's why I go back to it's pretty frustrating."
Smith acknowledged that he and the team had put in a lot of preparation into their matchup against the Wolverines'. However, after Saturday's loss, Michigan State must now get past another difficult loss this season and go back to the drawing board. Things do not get any easier for the Spartans over the next few weeks. They play two teams currently ranked in the top 25. If they lose those two games, the last two games of the season would become must-win games for the Spartans.
"We did put a lot into this game, and we put a lot into every game," Smith said. "I'm pretty confident. We're going to have to regroup. We're going to deeply digest this one, and then we move forward. We've got a big-time opponent coming in next Saturday. I'm confident these guys will be back to work and ready to go again at home."
Two of Michigan State's four wins this season were upset wins. it was not successful in its upset bid tonight. However, it has plenty of potential upsets still available.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.