MSU Searching for Identity on Both Sides of the Football

The Michigan State Spartans do not know how they want to beat teams.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith, center, looks on from the sideline during the third quarter in the game against UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans have spiraled in 2025, putting the future of the football program in peril. 

Jonathan Smith has lost control of things, as the Spartans are coming off a 38-13 loss to a UCLA team that has quit on the season. Sure, the Bruins found new life under interim head coach Tim Skipper, but losing that game in that fashion was inexcusable. 

MSU is now 3-3 on the season and has dropped all three conference games it has played. Why has the team struggled so badly when the competition has ramped up? 

It’s because the team does not have an identity on either side of the ball. 

MSU failing to establish an identity

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Chrishon McCray (13) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

When you look at the best teams in the country, you see them specializing in one or two elements on both sides. MSU specializes in none, and that is evident in how it plays. 

Smith’s Oregon State teams were strong in the trenches and could dominate the line of scrimmage by controlling the clock in the run game. That philosophy has not translated to East Lansing, and it has done nothing but leave fans frustrated with the current product. 

MSU cannot decide if it is a run or pass-heavy team. The Spartans have a few solid running backs, but the team does not pound the rock behind its average-at-best offensive line. 

The Spartans also have good receivers and a talented quarterback, but Smith does not dial up nearly enough deep shots or plays to Nick Marsh, Omari Kelly, or Chrishon McCray. 

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh (6) celebrates a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins with quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (11) in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Defensively, the Spartans, theoretically, should be sound in all three phases, but the team cannot rush the passer or cover receivers downfield. Pass-catchers are getting too much space and creating big plays after the catch. 

If MSU cannot find an identity under Smith, the team is doomed to continue to struggle on both sides of the ball. 

If the Spartans keep Smith as the head coach past this season, there may not be a bigger make-or-break season for a coach in college football history. 

The MSU football program may be on the brink of collapse, and if he cannot figure things out, he may be on his way out, despite financial responsibilities. 

It starts with establishing a strong identity on both sides of the ball.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith walks off the field at the half against the UCLA Bruins at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

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