Saturday was a tough day for Michigan State football fans everywhere.
They watched as their favorite team was silenced by their rival on their home turf. Michigan State was handled by a big second half from Michigan, losing 31-20 after trailing just 10-7 at the half. It was a disappointing result in the biggest game of the season, and Jonathan Smith's already-scorching seat warmed up even more.
There was one positive throughout the game that all fans noticed: Joe Rossi was coaching his butt off. The Spartan defensive coordinator, who usually coaches from the press box, was on the sidelines firing his guys up after big plays and really showing the emotion that we all wanted to see from Smith.
Rossi felt like the only coach on the staff that night who showed the correct amount of emotion, and it gave Spartan fans a sliver of hope -- even if the rest of the staff was disappointing.
On Monday, Smith provided one positive update that came from Saturday's disaster:
Jonathan Smith: "We are sticking with Joe Rossi on the sidelines moving forward. We liked how that went."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) October 27, 2025
Rossi will be on the sidelines moving forward because, well, he brings the energy. When the rest of the staff struggles to fire the guys up, Rossi is there yelling, fist-pumping, and celebrating big plays while being visibly angry at poor calls and poor execution.
It was clear that the players also enjoyed having Rossi on the sidelines because they, too, were fired up for most of the game, but some unfortunate short-field situations wore them down.
The defense was not the problem on Saturday, and Rossi's presence on the sidelines was felt by just about everyone. This is a good move by Smith and it's what he has to do to try and save his job.