REACTION: Michigan State HC Jonathan Smith on progress, failures, heat and Michigan week

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith had three main topics of questioning during his postgame press conference following Saturday’s 38-13 loss at No. 3 Indiana. One, was there some satisfaction with the progress Michigan State showed in flurries on offense. Two, how did your defense fail to force an Indiana punt? Three, was last week’s external consternation by fans, observers and pundits about his job security a distraction.  (And four, can the team rally next week against Michigan?) Let’s go No. 3, first: THREE: SMITH’S JOB SECURITY After last week’s game, a sleepwalk loss to UCLA on Homecoming, Michigan State fans on social media and talk shows - along with some media pundits - took a hard negative turn on Smith. Some believed his job was in jeopardy, and could get pink-slipped - soon.  Was Smith aware of that? I asked if he did anything to insulate his players from that talk. (MORE inside SpartanMag. Join SpartanMag now - $1 for the first week - and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.)