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V-Cast: Beating Penn State is the first step toward Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith saving his job

On3 imageby: Paul Konyndyk7 hours agoPKonyndyk
Pre-PSUVC

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State is hoping to put its best foot forward coming off the bye week in a match-up with Penn State for the Land Grant Trophy. Both teams are 0-6 in the Big Ten and each program has found ways to lose games that should have been won.

After interviews on Tuesday, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk weighed in on the senior day match-up between Spartans and Nittany Lions and the pressure that Jonathan Smith and his coaching staff are under to provide tangible evidence of improvement in their second season at Michigan State.  

Continue below to watch the V-Cast.

V-CAST TOPICS

Seniors deserve a win: Michigan State seniors continue to work hard in practice and play hard on Saturdays with little to play for aside from pride. On paper, this trophy game appears to be a lot more winnable than it did before the season started when Penn State was one of the favorites from the Big Ten earn a CFP berth. Things haven’t gone the way the Nittany Lions expected, however, amidst a six-game losing streak. The Spartans have had chances to break their own six-game losing streak but have failed to do so. Getting a win against Penn State will not be easy. Despite their struggles, The Nittany Lions have an advantage in talent over the Spartans. PSU will undoubtedly test Michigan State’s shaky pass protection with a dynamic pass rush that gave Indiana problems last weekend.

What will it take to beat Penn State? Michigan State faces a Penn State team that has lost six straight games, but the best version of the Nittany Lions would likely beat the best version of the Spartans. We haven’t seen the best version of Michigan State to this point in the season. What we have seen is bits and pieces of what looks like progress one week, followed by regression the next. To break the losing streak, Michigan State needs a strong follow-up performance by redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who threw for more than 300 yards in his first start. Improved pass projection would help Milivojevic deliver a strong performance in his second career start. The Spartans would also benefit from a productive run game, which had good moments last time out. On defense, Michigan State needs another inspired performance, like it has gotten since defensive coordinator Joe Rossi moved out of the press box to the sideline.  

Latest on Smith’s future: Smith is coaching to keep his job with three games remaining. If he wins the next three games against Penn State, Iowa, and Maryland, Smith will more than likely be given the opportunity for a third season as head coach at Michigan State. If Smith were to win two of the next three games and match his 2024 win-loss record of 5-7, would that be enough to keep his job as the leader of the Michigan State football program for another season? That remains to be seen, but the possibility does exist given the relatively sparse pool of candidates that would be in play for the Spartans should they move in a different direction with the leadership of their program.

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