MSU football: Analyzing the situation with Jonathan Smith (video)
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari break down the situation with MSU’s Jonathan Smith.
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch breaks down Michigan State’s football game at Minnesota this Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ET). TV: Big Ten Network. Betting line: Minnesota -3.5
1. Where are Michigan State’s players’ heads?
The Spartans have played hard each of the past two weeks, giving Indiana and Michigan their best shot, even if their best wasn’t nearly good enough. Those were big-time opponents, teams on the radar, the latter a rivalry that can make or save a season. But now at 3-5, with program momentum at a two-year low, their coaching staff likely on the way out and their own futures perhaps in limbo, how dialed in are they? If MSU’s players put together a focused effort and performance, it’ll say a lot of good things about them. This is a tough spot, but not an unbeatable opponent. How much fight do they have left?
2. Quarterback play and who’s under center for MSU
I’d be very surprised if Aidan Chiles doesn’t start at quarterback for MSU this week. I would not be surprised to see Alessio Milivojevic at some point, either scripted or to replace Chiles if he’s ineffective. Chiles has had subpar performances in three of MSU’s last four games, albeit with a good showing against Indiana. If he starts well, perhaps it’s his show the whole way. But, if not, at some point it’s unfair to the offense, to the team and to Milivojevic not to give Chiles’ backup an extended look.
Minnesota will be a test for whoever is under center for the Spartans. Among the only areas the Gophers are above average is getting to the quarterback, where they average 3.13 sacks per game, third-most in the Big Ten and 10th-best nationally.
3. The Joe Rossi on-field experience, Part II
How desperate are MSU fans for head coach Jonathan Smith to step out of character and show some emotion on the sidelines? Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is suddenly a cult hero in MSU country after coming down from the booth and coaching on the sidelines last week, and then showing noticeable fire and fight. Whether correlation or causation, MSU’s defense might have played its best game, given the opponent and the disadvantages at the line of scrimmage against Michigan. Rossi is expected to be on the sidelines again this week at Minnesota, where he coached for six seasons until 2023. That might help prevent any heads dropping if things go wrong for an MSU team that’s lost five straight and is playing an off-the-radar game after two weeks in the limelight. The Spartans need any and every edge they can get. Rossi on the sidelines seems to be one.
4. The state of the Gophers
Minnesota isn’t exactly feeling great about things, either, coming off a 41-3 loss at Iowa, where everything that could go wrong did. The Gophers, though, are still 5-3 and 3-2 in the Big Ten, and they’ve won all five of their home games to this point. My sense is they’ll be more ornery than checked out after last week’s performance. There are, however, questions about the health of a couple key players — including standout running back Darius Taylor, who left the game against Iowa after one series. The nature of his injury and status is unclear. He previously was dealing with a hamstring injury. Likewise, defensive back John Nestor left last week’s game with an ankle injury. If Nestor is healthy, he could be on MSU receiver Nick Marsh.
Gophers freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey had been solid this season up until the trip to Iowa City, where he threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. MSU did a nice job last week of getting pressure on Michigan’s Bryce Underwood. We’ll see if they can do it again and maybe rattle Minnesota’s young QB.
5. Can MSU play a clean game?
MSU’s recent losses have been mired by penalties and mishaps, questionable decisions and breakdowns in execution. The Spartans’ don’t have upper-tier Big Ten talent across the board, but they’ve got enough to beat Nebraska, UCLA and probably Minnesota. And if they’d won those first two games, this one would have a different feel, as would the entire season and the immediate future of the coaching staff. MSU has yet to put together a game where one area didn’t hold the Spartans back. The defense was good enough against Nebraska and Michigan. The offense made things interesting at USC and moved the ball at Indiana. Can MSU have the game where both sides look competent and suddenly the whole thing looks more capable?
Prediction
I’m not going to predict the wheels coming off for the Spartans this week, though that is one possibility. MSU hasn’t shown any sign of giving in the last two games, so even if this feels like a time and place it could happen, predicting it would be ignoring the most recent evidence at hand. But it’s also hard to picture MSU winning a game right now. It’s hard to imagine the Spartans not struggling on at least one side of the ball. It’s just hard to see this getting better.
Make it: Minnesota 26, MSU 17
