Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith and his Spartans have ended their three-game losing streak. MSU made a statement in its 32-20 homecoming win over Iowa on Saturday night, and improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play.
Coming off of a bye week, Smith was pleased with how his team played. Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim set a single-game program record with six made field goals on the night, while quarterback Aidan Chiles helped lead the MSU offense to 468 total yards and the Spartan defense held the Hawkeyes to just 283 total yards.
"(I'm) really happy for our guys," Smith said after the game. "These guys have been working. (We) did a good job, I thought, handling the bye week — really had two weeks to prepare for this one and I think it showed up out there. (It was) just a team win — you can talk about all three phases contributing to this one, and so I was really, really happy with them. A lot of it, too, about the response. The first half, had some opportunities, but we go in at halftime with a little bit of a lead, but you knew Iowa was gonna come out and answer with the culture, that type of team they have, and they did. They pushed us throughout the second half, got within one score a couple of times, and the response from this (MSU) group was huge."
Smith praised Kim's performance, liked the way his team was able to control the ball, showed a lot of respect for Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and was grateful for the homecoming crowd at Spartan Stadium.
"Jonathan Kim, that thing is critical," Smith said about the number of field goals Kim made. "First half, banging those (field goals) through, momentum wise, had some other big kicks in the second half, and so any time you make six field goals like that (is big). I don't think we punted the entire night. (We) only turned it over one time. The efficiency offensively was huge. Keeping the ball out of their hands — I think the time of possession was almost two to one — (was also huge).
"So, just really going back to it, (I'm) proud of them because that's a good football team. (The Hawkeyes) are well-coached. Coach Ferentz, utmost respect for him and what he does and what he continues to do. And so happy to — on homecoming, in front of another great crowd — pull out a win."
Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson entered the game second in the country in rushing yards with 937. He also came into the contest averaging a staggering 7.9 yards per carry. On Saturday night, Johnson did break off an electric 75-yard touchdown run, but the Spartans held Johnson to just 23 yards on his other 13 attempts.
Johnson finished the game against Michigan State with 14 carries for 98 yards and the aforementioned score. That was his second-lowest yardage total of the 2024 season (he recorded 86 yards against Ohio State on Oct. 5).
Offensively, Michigan State amassed 212 rushing yards on 40 attempts (5.3 yard per carry). The yardage total was the most the Spartans have accumulated on the ground so far this year.
Smith was happy with the way both of the sides of the ball played on Saturday night, along with the special teams.
"I'm really pleased with it on both sides (of the ball)," Smith said. "The thing about defensively, that (running) back (Johnson) is really good, and that front did a great job of getting off the field early. I do think it helps us defensively against a front that is that physical, that our rotation (was good) — again, defensive line, we are rotating, multiple guys are playing, staying fresh.
"Flip it on the offensive side, allowed us to convert, and continue to move drives, not going backward. We're just really happy for that offensive front in particular because they haven't played to the level that they want to, and I thought they did tonight."
He noted that the Spartans have a "nice one-two punch" in the running game with running backs Nate Carter and Kay'ron Lynch Adams, and that the team has "confidence" in both tailbacks. The UMass transfer, Lynch-Adams, led MSU in rushing on the day with 15 carries for 86 yards (5.7 yards per attempt). Meanwhile, Carter carried the ball nine times for 49 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. Chiles added 51 rushing yards on 11 carries (4.6 yards per attempt) to go along with his 256 passing yards and one passing touchdown.
Additionally, running backs Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis, who are true freshmen, both saw carries. Smith noted that they "earned some opportunities" to get on the field.
In terms of his Chiles' decision-making in the passing game — outside of the one interception he threw and a couple of other plays — Smith felt his quarterback was "lights out." Smith said that he thought Chiles played his "best, most complete game" of the season on Saturday night against the Hawkeyes.
Smith felt that the offense did "grow throughout the game," and he was pleased with how the Spartans were able to finish in the red zone and find the end zone in the second half. He admired the "balance" the Spartans showed offensively by being able to move the ball both in the run game and the passing game.
The head coach noted that "football is a game of development and growth, especially at the college age." Smith knows that it is going to take time to rebuild the program, but he mentioned that there is a "sense of urgency" to find success now as well and to build confidence and develop skill on MSU's roster.
Despite the three-game skid entering the bye week, there was no panic coming out of the MSU football building. The approach stayed the same. Smith knows he has talented players and hard-workers on his team. That was evident against the Hawkeyes.
"Looking at the bye week, there wasn't a panic or overreaction — (like) all of a sudden we've got to throw out the offense and we're going to put something new in," Smith exclaimed. "No, we know what type of players we have. We keep pushing those guys, and they continue with the work ethic that they've had, we'll find some success, and (that) showed up tonight."
The Spartans didn't lose faith after three-straight defeats, and it's a sign that the culture that Smith and his staff have worked hard to implement over the past nearly 11 months is being bought into by the players. And for Smith, that culture is all about the players leading each other.
"I think it speaks to a little bit that I think we've got some genuine belief in this locker room of the approach and how they're going," Smith said. "You lose three-straight games and then you've got a week to really just think about it. I think it speaks to kind of the culture that these guys — player-led — want to build around here. And they have been bought in and going and still motivated. And I looked at the week of practice, felt the same way. And then again tonight, and I think (Iowa) was a good football team. And so, if you look at these numbers and what we were able to do, I think it speaks a lot to the buy-in and the culture that's player led around here."
Smith is still learning about his football team, but it is now at the point of the season where he has a pretty good idea. Saturday's game showed what the Spartans are capable of, but the team still has plenty of areas in which it can improve.
"I think that we've learned that we're very capable if we can play some disciplined football, there's some genuine belief in what we've got going, (and) that it (showed) up tonight," Smith said.
A common phrase that coaches, including Smith like to talk about is "complementary football," which means all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams) are working together. Smith felt that Michigan State's performance against Iowa was the best example of this so far in 2024.
"By far the best I think across the board," Smith said when asked about his team playing complementary football against Iowa. "I look at the seven games (we've played). It was complementary on both sides — getting some stops (defensively), possessing (the football on offense). I'd love to finish with more touchdowns, but again, credit to Iowa. Then even on the special teams side, I mean, I know Jonathan Kim, all those numbers, these guys were good. We had some issues on kickoff coverage that we've got to get better at, and Iowa is good at that, but all three phases, I thought, complemented each other tonight well."
Smith also mentioned that Iowa plays a physical brand of football, and that Michigan State wants "to be known as being able to play that style of physical football."
With a strong win over Iowa now on the record, Michigan State will review the film and then quickly turn its attention to next week's opponent, the archrival Michigan Wolverines. This will be Smith's first time coaching in the Michigan State versus Michigan rivalry series.
"We're going to stay pretty consistent to our approach tomorrow (Sunday)," Smith said. "Because we do, we're all about learning from this — what we've seen, correcting and improving. And then, we'll flip the page pretty quickly for next week. And it's one of the best things about college football is playing in rivalry games, and this game (versus Michigan) means a ton."
Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time., and the game will broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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