Michigan State fans have come to bury Jonathan Smith for lifeless Big Ten loss

Michigan State has not had a winning season since 2021 under Mel Tucker, and with an 0-3 start in Big Ten play to fall to 3-3 overall, it doesn’t appear they’re poised for one in Jonathan Smith’s second season at the helm. The Spartans were booed off the field at halftime on Saturday in East Lansing, trailing UCLA 24-7, and after the 38-13 loss to the Bruins, the fanbase has kept that same energy on social media. 

Smith’s Spartans have now lost three straight, falling to USC, Nebraska, and UCLA. The Bruins are on the complete opposite trajectory and may provide a potential blueprint for improvement. After starting the year 0-3, UCLA fired head coach Deshaun Foster in his second season, replacing him with interim head coach Tim Skipper. Then, after another loss, the Bruins moved on from offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri and elevated Jerry Neuheisel as the offensive play-caller. 

In Neuheisel’s debut last Saturday at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins stunned No. 7 Penn State 42-37, and kept that momentum rolling in Week 7. Not every team would respond to firing their head coach as well as the Bruins have, but the Michigan State fanbase is starting to be convinced that it’s worth a try. 

Jonathan Smith finds himself on the hot seat in Year 2

Part of the appeal to hiring Jonathan Smith was that he may bring highly-touted quarterback Aidan Chiles with him from Oregon State. However, Chiles, who is now a junior, has not been part of the solution for the Spartans and was knocked out of the game on Saturday. Smith was forced to turn to redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic. 

Chiles finished the game 8-for-17 for 66 yards while Milivojevic managed 100 yards and a touchdown on 8-for-18 passing. Without strong play from Chiles, there isn’t much reason for optimism in East Lansing, and more fuel to the fire of a fanbase that is ready to run their head coach out of town. 

Smith spent six seasons at Oregon State before taking the job at Michigan State. He built from a 2-10 record in 2018 and another two-win campaign in a COVID-shortened 2020 season to win 10 games in 2022. It took time to build in Corvallis, but Michigan State fans are losing patience.