WATCH: Michigan State's Jonathan Smith Talks Illinois, Purdue, Quest For Bowl Bid
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State is currently on a three-game losing streak at a point in the season when wins matter the most.
A bowl game is still within reach for the Spartans, though, as they need to win out to earn such eligibility. They will first need to attain win No. 5 when they host Purdue on Friday.
Most would view Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith's first season as a successful one if he is able to make a bowl game. It's completely achievable still, but he and the team will be taking this final stretch one game at a time.
The first-year Spartans coach addressed the media on Monday. You can watch below:
Below is a transcript from Smith's opening statement from his postgame press conference following his team's loss to Illinois:
Smith: "OK, well, let me say first, congrats to Illinois. Played really well, executed well. It's a good football team. Played a brand of ball that is tough to come back for and the way we were executing. A lot of it boils down to, I think, the difference on third down, the quality of play they had, lack of -- I'm staring at a number; we were 2-of-15. That's the difference in the game. I do think I'll give them some credit, too, on their punt returners. We knew that guy was a good player coming into this thing, but we had a few of them get out on us, and that hidden yardage, I think was the difference in the game as well. So, congrats to them. We got some things on a short week we got to do better, and keep working. We got a lot still to play for with two. But we got a disappointed group in that locker room right now."
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