Last year after losing to Michigan, first-year Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith admitted that he didn’t quite know how intense “this sucker” was.
Smith talked about how he wanted to win “that thing” but that he wasn’t truly aware of how intense it was until he coached in it, and how much it meant to the fans and former players. To him, this was prepared for as slightly more than just another game, but the reason Mark Dantonio had so much success against the Wolverines was because he treated it like the game.
Dantonio made a long career out of taking care of his top rival en route to 10 and 11-win seasons and New Year’s Day bowl berths. He made sure beating Michigan was on his to do list every year.
Smith, well, he’s treated this like just another game.
Last year, the Spartans had chances, but lost by a touchdown against a beatable Michigan team, and this year, they fell apart in the second half, losing 31-20. Both games felt the exact same, energy-wise.
Sure, there was some chippiness, and Smith’s message to play between the whistles wasn’t exactly followed by his guys as they were baited into several personal fouls after the play was over. It felt like an undisciplined, poorly-coached loss once again, and the team’s poor execution was the cherry on top.
To make matters even worse, it felt like Michigan State didn’t even belong on the same field as Michigan in the second half. The Spartans got bullied, out-roughed, and just flat-out out-played by the Wolverines for 30 minutes straight as they stepped on Michigan State’s throat. The return jabs after every Michigan haymaker missed, and the Spartans fell flat on their faces, Charlie Brown-style.
We can talk about how poor the refs were, but that’s not why Michigan State lost. They lost because they have a coaching staff that has been OK with coasting over the past two seasons instead of improving. That’s why changes are needed.
It felt like Michigan State hit rock-bottom after losing to 1-4 UCLA at home 38-13, but this is the new lowest of the lows. Losing without much fire or passion against a beatable Michigan team at home.
This program used to take this game seriously. How sad it’s become.