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Memorable as it was off the field, Michigan State’s 2023 college football season is one its fans would understandably like to forget.
As instability engulfed the program, the Spartans went 4-8, tied for their second-fewest wins in a full season since 1992. Through that struggle, though, Jonathan Smith saw promise.
In an appearance this week on ESPN’s “College GameDay” podcast, the new Michigan State football coach said he was “actually somewhat impressed” by what he saw from the team on film, even as it finished just 2-7 in Big Ten play.
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“I know they didn’t win as many games as they wanted, but they continued through all that distraction that was going on,” Smith said. “They were still competitive. They played tough later in games. They won four. I thought they had a chance to win six or seven with all that distraction going on. I actually thought there was some competitive character here.”
The Spartans were consistently blown out last season, with five of their eight losses coming by at least 21 points. But there were games in which they were more competitive: Likely no game stands as a bigger missed opportunity than a 27-24 loss at Rutgers on Oct. 14, a game in which Michigan State squandered an 18-point fourth-quarter lead.
It was the fourth loss of what turned out to be a six-game losing streak, with the Spartans rebounding to win two of their final four games, defeating Nebraska and Indiana by three points apiece.
In his first months on the job, Smith was able keep several key contributors from the team he inherited, including players such as Derrick Harmon, Simeon Barrow and Geno VanDeMark who had entered the transfer portal only to withdraw.
“Going back to the ability to keep a lot of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-coach-jonathan-smith-170800323.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-03-08 17:08:00
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