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MSU football should expect a lot from itself after the loss to Ohio State

Posted on by Vanessa
MSU football should expect a lot from itself after the loss to Ohio State

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EAST LANSING – One refreshing aspect of new Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith is that he doesn't try to downplay major problems.

Take Saturday evening for example. The Spartans lost 38-7 to Ohio State in a game in which they were physically competitive until the second half.

When asked if the performance encouraged or discouraged him, Smith began with the following:

“Well, I think we're far from that because it's in the details. And it's in those sales. … Credit to those guys (the Buckeyes) – 38-7 is not close. At the end of the day it’s all about the scoreboard.”

It helps that Smith is in his first season at MSU. When you're losing at home by 31 points in the fourth grade, you're more likely to feel compelled to defend the game – and talk about a game full of inches and moments of failed execution.

If you turn the ball over three times, twice in the red zone, and allow your opponent to convert 11 of 21 third-and-a-yard attempts, and you come up a yard short on fourth-and-a-yard, is that more than inches.

And yet Saturday night was also the most promising MSU football game in three seasons.

Because that was mighty Ohio State, and as we all saw and Smith also said, “I didn't feel like there were a ton of snaps out there that just overwhelmed us.”

This isn't nothing.

The question is, what now? I'm excited for MSU's game at Oregon this Friday. Because while the four games after that and after a bye – Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois – are now all just as winnable as they can be lost and are completely hopeless, Friday's game in Oregon is the Spartans' last chance to play to attack a possible playoff opponent and get people's attention.

The next game is a home run in some respects, but it will also reveal the Spartans' determination, maturity and real-time growth. Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles proved that week-to-week on Saturday. And against Ohio State, the Spartans showed they have what it takes to compete with Oregon. To probably compete with anyone.

You've seen it now. They know their own strength. Whereas they may not have done it until Saturday. Giving Oregon a real fight requires nothing more than the Spartans' weekly skills.

“We'll have a chance to win in every ballgame if we can clean up the turnover rock and get off the field on third down,” Smith said.

“I think first we just have to be honest with ourselves,” MSU running back Nate Carter added. “We have to hold ourselves accountable for the mistakes we make on offense and put ourselves in a predicament where we can't reach the red zone – like turning the ball over, not holding on to the football, etc.” so. … It was two games in a row where we had the same problems. So what can we do this week to stop this from happening on Friday night?”

What we don't know about this team is how resilient and together they will be when life gets difficult. It's one thing to bounce back after a bad play, drive or turnover. Defeats can affect you in different ways. When teams feel their preseason hopes dimming, when a team's bragging rights are humiliated, when a roster with 61 new players – and from all sorts of previous situations – is asked to stick together in the face of adversity, there is no guarantee that that this happens.

MORE: Couch's grades for the MSU football team after their performance against Ohio State

In the locker room after Saturday's loss, defensive lineman Anthony Jones — who played one season at Oregon and last season at Indiana before transferring to MSU — pleaded with his teammates not to let two tough weeks represent the start of a downward spiral, but mistakes to correct don't think about what can't be changed.

“He’s been on teams like that,” Carter said of Jones. “He was part of good teams that were great and then they hit a difficult patch and after a few games the season came to an end. … We have a long season ahead of us and we have a lot of opportunities and a lot of games.”

What lies ahead for the 3-2 Spartans is a chore – a short week of preparation, a cross-country trip, an opponent that is difficult for many of MSU's coaches and some of their players who followed Smith and Co. from Oregon State. A deep-rooted rival is , a 4-0 Oregon team that appears to have found its footing in its last two games.

Nobody expects much from the Spartans in Eugene. But after Saturday night in East Lansing, they should expect a lot from themselves.

RELATED: Couch: 3 quick reactions to Michigan State's 38-7 loss to Ohio State

Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch.

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