Jonathan Smith calls for accountability as Michigan State tackles defensive breakdowns

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State has plenty of problems, in the midst of a three-game losing streak, a difficult portion of the schedule on the horizon, and a stink bomb of a game against UCLA in the rearview mirror.  Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith says he and the team are tackling the problems one by one. Smith is urgent, and task-oriented.  “We got back in the building yesterday (Sunday) and took a deep dive on things and really talked a lot about the halfway point, let's face it, six games in, 3-3, coming off a loss that was not good enough, obviously,” Smith said Monday. “We went on the leadership of this team, discussion of what we want this thing to look like moving forward, any potential issues we might have. And it was great, a lot of accountability amongst the team, responsibility, coaches included.” Among the problems, Smith said, were cases of players “trying to do too much.” (MORE inside SpartanMag. Join SpartanMag now - $1 for the first week - and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.)