Pat Fitzgerald was fired up right before halftime, making a pitstop to speak to the Big Ten Network crew about how he feels like his team was just not playing the Spartan brand of football.
His standards weren’t being met and you could hear just how frustrated he was with both sides of the ball not holding up their ends of the bargain.
The second half was much better so it looked like the message was well-received in the locker room by both Michigan State players and coaches. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan got the message and led their respective units to a dominant second-half performance. Eastern had over 100 rushing yards in the first half and then finished with just 101. The Eagles lost yards in the second half on the ground.
Noah Kim also didn’t have much more time to throw the ball and he looked a lot shakier in the second half as the Spartans continued to get to him. He was 7-for-9 at one point in the first half and then he finished just 9-for-17. His 16 completions went for just 118 yards and the one touchdown scored was with Kim’s legs. The Spartans put the clamps on him and the rest of the offense in the final 30 minutes.
Still, Fitzgerald was overall not too pleased with how the defense.
Pat Fitzgerald was really critical of the unit in his post-game interview but he claimed that Rossi would get them right, reaffirming his confidence in his defensive coordinator.
"Joe (Rossi) will get ‘em right, I have confidence in that."Pat Fitzgerald
This squashes any inkling of a belief that Fitzgerald may be having doubts in his defensive coordinator. He believes in Rossi and has confidence that he’s going to get the toughness back on defense and ensure that missed tackles don’t become a recurring theme.
Joe Rossi has been the recipient of plenty of criticism
Rossi was hired by Jonathan Smith away from Minnesota, and fans have expected big things out of him ever since. He’s shown flashes of being a great Big Ten defensive coordinator, and then he’s also had some duds. On Saturday, we saw both.
The first half was a disaster despite giving up just seven points. The Spartans were missing tackles left and right and it looked like Eastern Michigan was the tougher team in the second quarter. Fitz was critical of the offense and defense at halftime, but he offered praise to both after the game although he’s a realist and knows that teams good need to have complete games.
The Spartans aren’t quite there yet after two overall solid games, but not quite complete four-quarter efforts.
Rossi got the message and his defense clamped down on Eastern Michigan in the second half, shutting them out. He has been the subject of plenty of criticism during his time here, but the second half on Saturday should have been an encouraging sign to everyone that he can adjust and get things right.
It’s why Fitzgerald still has plenty of confidence in Ro
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