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Jonathan Smith faces his first real test at MSU

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Jonathan Smith faces his first real test at MSU

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EUGENE, Ore. – Bigger tests lie ahead for Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith and his staff – like building a roster that can compete with the Oregon team that overwhelmed the Spartans on Friday night.

But Smith and Co. are facing their first real test with this squad. After two humiliating games and three straight losses, including a 31-10 loss to the Ducks, confidence is waning. In the MSU situation, teams can begin to splinter or at least lose their strength as they lose their pride.

The 3-3 Spartans won't play teams better than Oregon and Ohio State down the stretch. But they will face five other teams they can beat. And the duel with the only other team, Purdue, is a long way off.

This is when Smith and the coaching group under him need to show their teeth. That’s when a great staff can make a big difference.

“We need to regroup,” Smith said late Friday night in a tent outside Autzen Stadium. “We have to find ways to improve. Starts with us as coaches finding the best ways to go about the position, what we're putting it on, (our) plan, what our mistakes are and finding a way to improve and move forward. Because we still have a lot of football ahead of us.”

Six games can feel like 20 if you keep losing.

Nothing that happened in the first six games or the last two weeks was unexpected. That doesn't make it any easier.

MSU's players are showing signs of a group struggling with their reality and limitations, best exemplified by tight end Jack Velling's assessment of their struggles.

“I mean, of course there are penalties,” Velling began, “and I think it just comes down to 10 people doing the right thing and one not doing the right thing, whoever that is.” We have to improve our performance. We have to finish better. And we have a big bye week ahead of us, so we’re going to do everything right.”

The old “10 people are doing the right thing and one people aren’t” line is one that MSU has beaten to death over the last five years to explain why things went wrong. The same goes for the need to “execute better.”

Athletes find it difficult to admit when someone is bigger, faster and stronger than them. When you're ahead in sports, it's amazing how often all 11 boys do the right thing and perform well.

Oregon's advantage at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball was evident Friday night. More than a week earlier in MSU's 38-7 loss to Ohio State. The Spartans were exposed on Friday – including at some linebackers. Offensively, they couldn't protect sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles and are still nowhere near able to mount a rushing attack. They just can't block it well enough.

“We’re not there yet,” Smith said.

No line could be truer about his program.

And again, that was to be expected. I mean, how close do you think MSU was when he took over – after losing to Washington, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State by a combined 170-10 last season?

“I know, Year 1 and all, but I think this team will bounce back,” Smith said. “We will continue to work. We stay together. I think we have good leadership.”

Saying goodbye will help enormously. Much more than facing Oregon on the road six days after the Ohio State game and seven days after the Boston College game.

This also applies to the teams that are unlikely to run away from MSU, even if the next two programs on the schedule, Iowa and Michigan, are more advanced in terms of talent depth.

MORE: MSU football grades: Low marks for Spartans' performance at Oregon

What happened Friday can be summed up with this statement from Smith: “The line of scrimmage was not to our advantage.”

Chiles was under siege most of the night. He also made MSU's biggest mistake – a fumble near the goal line on the Spartans' first possession that ended the Spartans' chances of getting off to a fast start and potentially upsetting Oregon. But it was also MSU's biggest mistake, as the rest of the game was largely hopeless.

Asked if he was worried about Chile's confidence, Smith replied: “Not just Aidan. Look at this offense and everyone involved, not just the players. The coaches, right. But we will stick together and find ways to do better.”

It's hard when you don't quite have the horses you need. Confidence is important in play-calling and quarterbacking.

There aren't many quarterbacks in college football who would excel in Chile's situation – Oregon's Dillon Gabriel almost certainly wouldn't. And most college football coaches would trade their quarterback for Chiles.

Chiles has a problem with ball losses. But quarterback isn't MSU's problem – unless Chiles loses confidence.

This team desperately needs a break and then a win – only the first is guaranteed. This Iowa game will show the direction of this season, whether this group will bounce back and maybe make the most of it, or will be a group that continues to talk about 10 guys doing it right and one player not doing it as if That would really be the problem.

“I believe in this team,” defensive back Chuck Brantley said with conviction after Friday night’s game.

I wonder how many of his teammates feel the same way right now.

MORE: Couch: 3 quick reactions to Michigan State's 31-10 loss at Oregon

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

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