Jonathan Smith takes accountability for first Michigan State football loss

After losing his first game as head coach of Michigan State football, Jonathan Smith did some reflecting.

The first-year head coach got the Spartans off to a 3-0 start but then failed to seal the deal on the road in Week 4, losing in the final minutes against Boston College. To make matters worse, the Spartans had a chance to win in the final minute, but Aidan Chiles threw into double coverage in the end zone on a first-down play which ended the game.

The players never seemed to give up and haven't showed any signs of quitting all season, even when it looked like they were headed for a Week 2 loss at Maryland. But Michigan State fought back and won the game in regulation.

Saturday's loss came with some fixable miscues like intereptions in double coverage, a fumbled kickoff return to begin the second half, and a dropped touchdown catch by Nate Carter that would have effectively sealed a Michigan State win.

Unfortunately, the Spartans were sent home with a heartbreaking 23-19 loss despite being the better team for about 50-plus minutes.

And like any good coach, Smith took full responsibility for the miscues and the loss.

This is the sign of a good coach. While we saw Mel Tucker call himself a "(explitive) coach", Smith actually takes accountability and says the staff needs to be better when the players are executing.

It's refreshing to hear a coach give players their props while also taking the blame for a tough loss.

Hopefully this leads to fewer tough losses.