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EAST LANSING – Oregon might be new to the Big Ten, but not to Jonathan Smith.
The four games he played against his biggest rival as Oregon State’s quarterback.
The six games the last six seasons against the Ducks when he was the Beavers’ head coach, including his last at his alma mater before getting hired a day later to take over Michigan State’s football program. And a few others along the way.
Smith and his staff carry a ton of familiarity with playing at Autzen Stadium and against the high-powered offense of No. 6 Oregon as the Spartans make their first trip there in a decade Friday night.
“We played Oregon when I was at other universities as a coach, too. And so, I’ve kind of been through this before, being at a different place and the connections,” Smith said Monday. “We know through experience kind of how tough it is, that atmosphere in where we’re playing at. And so we’ll just try to prep our guys for a tough road environment.”
Michigan State’s head coach Jonathan Smith, right, talks with assistant coach Demetrice Martin before the start of the football game against Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, outside Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal
In eight tries as a player or coach, Smith has won just once in Eugene. He is 7-10 all-time against Oregon in any capacity.
Smith started four games at quarterback between Oregon State and the Ducks, winning a 44-41 overtime thriller as a redshirt freshman in 1998 and again 23-13 in 2000, both in Corvallis. He lost both times at Oregon in 1999 (25-14) and 2001 (17-14).
“Living in this state for multiple years, there’s emotion and pride,” Smith told the Eugene (Oregon) Register-Guard last year. “If you win this game, you get to talk about it for a full year. The intensity and emotions that come with it is a cool thing…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jonathan-smith-prepares-michigan-state-100829383.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-10-01 10:08:29
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