On last week's "Locked on Spartans" show with Matt Sheehan, I stated that 1. Florida Atlantic wouldn't stay in contact without help from Michigan State, and 2. short of of FAU playing even or beating MSU "straight up," without turnovers or miscues by MSU, I would not be reevaluating the direction of the season, rebuild or Jonathan Smith's regime.

After a 16-10 win over FAU, I feel the same. MSU had two drives inside the red zone end pointless with turnovers, and another turnover on downs in the low red zone. This, combined with another interception and numerous penalties, obscured the fact that MSU was able to move the ball with some consistency, and the defense was markedly more consistent, cohesive and connected than it was last year.

That being said, I do think it will take longer than expected for quarterback Aidan Chiles to be fully actualized, though I am confident in a positive outcome. I also think that FAU was much worse than I expected, particularly offensively. I worry about the depth of the defense as the schedule and games wear on. However, I remain confident that things are trending in the right direction.

Let's take a closer look at the game and break down the film, both offensively and defensively.