Michigan State football seniors refocus goals to 'finish the right way'

Michigan State football was clearly not going to compete for a Big Ten title on the football field this season, but that doesn't mean that expectations weren't higher for this team than they are now.

The Spartans enter this week at 3-5, needing three more wins in their final four games to make a bowl game as they travel to Minnesota to take on a 5-3 Golden Gophers team.

"We know that's something we can accomplish," wide receiver Omari Kelly told the media this week. "We have the ability to [make a bowl game]. We just have to all focus on our jobs, keep going, and don't give up. That's the biggest message I can really say right now."

For many across college football, even those on this disappointing MSU team, that's an incredibly low bar. Yet, it's about the only thing worth playing for at this point in the season, and it would be a huge accomplishment given all the turmoil the program has faced and the ongoing speculation about head coach Jonathan Smith's job security.

"Nobody wants to play just to go to a bowl game," Kelly admitted. "We obviously want to play to go to the playoffs and things like that. It hasn't gone that way, so now we have to shift our mindset and work toward a new goal."

Michigan State hasn't been to a bowl game since defeating Pitt in the 2021 Peach Bowl, finishing an 11-2 season while playing the bowl game without star running back Kenneth Walker. The downhill slide has been alarming and painful for fans, and the desperation is now obvious to all those involved.

Making a bowl game should be the minimum standard for this program, yet we're at the point where this senior class may graduate without ever making the postseason in any capacity. Therefore, reaching a bowl game, however trivial these days, is a step in the right direction, even as this coaching staff appears to be on its way out of town.

"That's really our goal right now is to win out and make a bowl game, so we can finish out the season the right way and send our seniors out the right way," center Matt Gulbin added.

Both Gulbin and Kelly transferred to MSU in the offseason and are playing the final games of their college careers over the next few weeks. That means they won't get another shot in any of these Big Ten rivalry games or to compete for a Big Ten title and the College Football Playoff.

It would be easy for a player to fold and walk out on his team in that situation, particularly in this day and age of college sports, but they seem to want to continue to show their leadership and work ethic until the final whistle, which hasn't always been the case for those in the program over recent seasons.

"My thing is 'go hard every day," Kelly said. "I get to wake up every day and play the game I've been playing since I was three years old. The fact that I'm still able to play is a blessing. I have no reason to be in my feelings or feel any type of way because we're losing right now. I still get to go out there and play with my dawgs. I just met them in January when I got here, but we've built a great relationship."

Nothing we've seen on the field over the past few weeks suggests the Spartans will turn things around, snap their losing streak, and rattle off a few wins to rally their way to a bowl game. But if they do get to that six-win mark, Kelly and Gulbin will be among those leading the way.

"I'm going to go out there and play for them, just like I know they'd go out there and play for me," Kelly added. "... I know what I have to do to help the team to the best of my ability, and I'm going to do that no matter what's going on."

It might not matter to some, but these two seniors are going to go out fighting as examples of how one should approach these situations. It's a small step, but pride still means something to those in the MSU program.

It's all about the response and the bigger picture beyond this season. How the Spartans finish these last four games will say plenty about who’s still bought in — and who’s ready to be part of the solution as another rebuild appears imminent.