Spartan Nation

Spartan Nation Flames Their Head Coach After Blowout Loss

The Spartans took on Indiana in their week 8 match, and social media was relentless after the loss.
Nathan Berry|
Oct 18, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti and Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith talk prior to the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti and Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith talk prior to the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

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Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans, 3-3 after a few frustrating losses, came into the 6-0 Indiana Hoosiers' home turf desperate for a victory to keep their Head Coach Jonathan Smith in town.

The momentum before the game was in favor of the Hoosiers, but MSU was the first to add points to the board after a promising first drive capped off by a successful Martin Connington field goal to make it 3-0.

Fans were already getting rowdy on social media with the first score, and predicting a win from the get-go because of their promising start, but not everyone was convinced, especially after Indiana replied with a touchdown to make it 7-3.

The ball went back to the Spartans afterwards, and the offense played clean football, consistently moving the chains and spreading the ball out as the first quarter came to a close.

Momentum continued building in the second quarter, converting a crucial 4th and 2 before getting the ball to star Nick Marsh for a touchdown to make the score 10-7.

Spartan Nation was gaining long-lost confidence in their team, and became excited for one of the first times since their three-game losing streak started.

Yet that confidence short lived, because the defense was already beginning to collapse before the half ended, letting up another touchdown to the Hoosiers making the score 14-10 when the beatdown began.

The offense was unable to get another score, and they had to let the defense back onto the field with less than three minutes to go before the half.

Indiana was able to run off one more touchdown, and the Spartans entered halftime down 21-10, losing the moxie that they had had only one quarter earlier.

Indiana continued the beatdown on the Spartans' defense after the half, with score after score of unanswered points. The team had a lack of production in offense; the unit looked good, but couldn't get anything going.

By the end of the 3rd, MSU was down 35-10, and fans were infuriated, convinced Smith would be gone sooner rather than later.

The fourth quarter was much of the same, and the Spartans had no realistic chance of coming back from the mighty deficit they were in, losing the game by 25 in embarrassing fashion.

Spartan Nation was enraged, embarrassed, sad, angry, and almost every feeling that could show their discontent with Smith and the team as a whole before putting week eight to a close with a garbage-time field goal.

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Nathan Berry
NATHAN BERRY

Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.