EAST LANSING — Some things can only be learned through experience.
Jonathan Smith’s first taste of the Michigan State football-Michigan football rivalry last year provided a baseline for the fervor and intensity that arrives annually. The importance placed on it across the state, within each program, among the fans and alums. And the late-game, on-field confrontation between the two teams.
The Midwestern flavor of rivalry was new to a Southern California native who had previously spent his entire football career on the West Coast.
“I think about the preparation and using more of that fuel – that passion – for our preparation. And then obviously playing with it, within a disciplined approach,” Smith said Monday, Oct. 20. “In football, it comes down to doing your job at a high, high level. So we want to foster a lot of that fuel to be able to play off that.”
As his second dose arrives this week, with the Spartans mired in a four-game Big Ten losing streak this season and the Wolverines back in the coaches poll at No. 24, Smith is attempting to channel what he has gleaned into his planning while remaining true to who tries to be as a coach – a calm, steady hand at the helm. Even when the ship sometimes seems rudderless, with a defense playing porously and an offense that provides a roller coaster of good and bad, Smith has learned from his fanbase and the program’s former players about the importance of what can come from a win against U-M on Saturday (7:30 p.m., NBC).
All that, while still trying to keep it in perspective, knowing where his program is after 19 games.
“I do think this is an important opportunity that this game presents,” said Smith, who is 8-11 in his first two seasons. “One, year in and year out, it’s going to, because it means more. But also then, just where we’re at in our current season, the tough times we’ve had the last couple weeks – all of that.
“This an awesome opportunity to change the tide, let’s call it. I do definitely see it that way.”
Saturday brings the fourth straight night game between the two schools. MSU (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten) is coming off Saturday’s 38-13 loss at No. 2 Indiana, while Michigan (5-2, 3-1) defeated Washington at home, 24-7.
In Smith’s first taste of the venom and vitriol a year ago – a 24-17 loss on Oct. 26, 2024, in Ann Arbor – the Spartans delivered a strong showing after the end of a three-game losing streak. They outgained the Wolverines, 352 yards to 256, and outrushed them, 163-119. But MSU’s mistakes proved costly, from Aidan Chiles’ fumble before halftime that was the game’s only turnover and led to a field goal, to six penalties for the Spartans vs. none for their opposition. All that before a brawl begun in the final seconds, started by the Wolverines in front of their sideline, leading to a bench clearing that showed Smith the fury between the two programs.
Entering this week, U-M has been flagged 10th-least in the nation, at 4.14 flags a game; the Spartans are tied for 14th at 4.57. The two also are tied for 14th with 37.57 penalty yards per game.
Smith said playing with discipline will be key for MSU to end its losing streak and pull off an upset, with the Wolverines installed around a two-touchdown favorite despite the Spartans being at home.
“Yes, it’s an emotional game. It means more this week, no question,” he said. “At the same time, it comes down to playing your best and doing what’s best for the team to help us win the game. And so that’s playing through the echo of the whistle, not well past it, keeping our focus on the job at hand – what I’m gonna do contributing to a win versus holding us back from a loss.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jonathan Smith: Michigan State football rivalry vs Michigan a chance ‘to change the tide’
Reporting by Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
