MSU's Rossi Thinks Spartans are Capable of Success
In this story:
EAST LANSING --- Michigan State's defense had a decent day last Saturday against Nebraska, but it still lost, 38-27.
Those 38 points allowed don't tell the whole story, though. The Cornhuskers picked up seven on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and also had an average starting field position just three yards shy of midfield. Nebraska averaged just 4.7 yards per play against MSU, when it has averaged 6.5 for the year.
That's a sign of improvement. Now, it's about consistently putting those good things together.
"We're in the business of winning football games, and we don't feel like we've played a complete game as an offense, defense, and special teams," defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said on Wednesday. "The flashes give you what you're capable of. The dips are the lack of consistency. So, I think the flashes give you the belief that you can do it and the motivation. If there weren't the flashes, then you're sitting there saying, 'Hey, we've got some issues.'"
Below is a full video of Rossi's 16-minute press conference from Wednesday.
Watch Joe Rossi here:
In addition, a partial transcript from the beginning of the press conference has been provided.
Transcript
Q: How would you evaluate your defense at this point and overall?
ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, we wanna win games, and we haven't won games for two weeks. So, that's where we're at, in a game, looking to win a game, in a game week.
So, we just had a good (practice), we had a good one yesterday, and so the guys are working really hard, excited to be back home, excited for homecoming. Got a good opponent coming in, so that's where I say we're at.
Q: Team effort, I mean, you don't wanna split one side, offense versus defense. But when you feel that your game attracts them, how do you kind of balance that with the overall perspective to keep morale up, keep motivation going for the entire team?
ROSSI: Well, what I would say is if you have the right people in the room, coaches and players, the motivation isn't as hard. And what I mean by that is everyone has a personal standard, everyone has a job to do. I get there's emotions in the game of football. I have them, I'm not immune to them, but I would say we have good people. We wanna do our best to have a great week of preparation to go out and put our team in position to win, so that's what we're working for.
Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on Joe Rossi's press conference when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
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.
Follow jacobcotsonika