Could Minnesota Be Jonathan Smith’s Final Game at MSU?
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Just 20 games into his tenure at Michigan State, there is a realistic chance that game 21 against Minnesota could be the final one for head coach Jonathan Smith.
MSU is 0-5 in Big Ten play and hasn't kept a game within 10 points or fewer. The Spartans' three victories during non-conference play were against 4-4 Western Michigan, 1-7 Boston College (double-overtime), and FCS Youngstown State --- not exactly the most impressive teams to beat.
If Michigan State were to drop its game at Minnesota, it would be the Spartans' first 0-6 conference start since 2016. But that was the year after a College Football Playoff appearance for Mark Dantonio, who had done much more than even that to build up some goodwill. Smith has done no such thing, and nothing indicates that he's on the track to doing so.
On this edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, we break down why this game specifically might be it for Smith with a loss along with several of the reasons why Smith has not been fired already.
Watch the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast here:
Additionally, a partial transcript of Smith's opening statement from his weekly Monday press conference has been provided.
Jonathan Smith
SMITH: Recapping after watching the tape, I think defensively, [they] really kept us in the game. I thought they had a critical hold for a field goal, 10 points at half, the third quarter, a couple long drives there. You know, we couldn't get off the field a couple of times, a tough call extended the drive, that kind of thing.
But I did think the effort was there, not a lot of missed assignments type thing. I do think as the game got into the second half, they [Michigan] leaned on us a little bit, because they've been out there quite a bit.
Offensively, slow start, call it lack of execution, timing, some things that we got to do better. Didn't help ourselves penalty-wise, a drop, inaccurate throws, wanted to be able to regroup.
And then you look at opportunities in the fourth quarter, didn't finish. You can go back to the couple of fourth downs, got us a chance to make it a much more, you know, back in the game, didn't happen.
Special teams-wise, was pleased with Eckley's hang time in regards to the punt game coverage unit. That part was good to see, because that had been missing for a couple of weeks, but ultimately still came down to just not good enough and got beat.
And so, how do you move forward? Regrouping. Guys got told the truth quite a bit yesterday, looking at things.
Still a lot out in front of us. We spoke to that, because, again, I think the preparation, we weren't second-guessing the week of work that went into leading into that. And really the energy, passion we played with, can we recreate that on a Saturday and execute a little bit better?
So that's where our mindset is moving forward, looking toward the opportunity that's coming on the road in Minnesota.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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