Michigan State first-year head coach Jonathan Smith's first attempt to bring the Paul Bunyan trophy back to East Lansing fell short on Saturday. Smith called the 24-17 loss to Michigan "frustrating" postgame, noting that some of the things the team has been working on improving all season were present yet again against the Wolverines.
The loss to an arch-rival will sting for a bit, but as the focus shifts toward a scorching hot Indiana team, what can we take away from Saturday night's loss?
Michigan State continues to be in its own way
Saturday's matchup was truly a game of inches, and UM found itself on the right side of many plays, especially late in both halves. MSU continued to make mistakes we have seen all season. They Spartans have consistently battled penalties and turnovers.
Michigan State averages seven penalties for 64.62 yards per game. While the numbers were down from that on Saturday, penalties were still a problem. MSU was called for six penalties for 35 yards. The Wolverines were called for zero.
The Spartans also lost one fumble, bringing their total to seven on the season and setting up a Wolverine field goal that gave UM the lead in the closing seconds of the first half.
MSU also had trouble finishing drives, which is another issue the team has dealt with all season, especially so in Jonathan Kim's record-setting performance against Iowa the week prior. The Spartans found themselves in the Wolverines' red zone four times and converted just twice.
The culmination of these factors ended in what you would expect, especially on the road. You cannot afford these mistakes in games like Saturday's, and it especially stings to know that if Michigan State was able to convert on some of its opportunities, the Spartans could've been coming back to East Lansing with the Paul Bunyan trophy.
At this point in the season, these things must improve during the last four games, or the Spartans will find themselves in similar positions again a few more times this year.
On the flip side, there have been improvements
Despite some of the Spartans' problems this season, some areas have steadily improved.
One of the biggest examples of this has been the run production for Michigan State. Before the bye week, the MSU was averaging 120.1 rushing yards per game. In its two games against the number 17- and 15-ranked run defenses in the country, MSU ran the ball for 187.5 yards per game. That's a noticeable difference against some tough competition.
Nate Carter had an impressive solo performance on Saturday as well, logging 123 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The week before, Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams was the team's leading rusher with 90 yards. The Spartans are starting to find footing again against some good defenses, and with the Hoosiers up next with a run defense that ranks fourth in the nation, it'll be interesting to see if the team can maintain the success it has found the past two weeks.
The defense has also been impressive for the Spartans all season, especially after the bye week. Building off a strong performance against the Hawkeyes, the Spartans held the Wolverines to 119 rushing yards. That is their third-lowest total all season, and second-lowest in conference play. Despite that, MSU did allow Alex Orji to run quite a bit, especially in critical situations. But, overall, Michigan State had another solid defensive performance.
Now isn't a time to overreact
Losing to a rival, especially in what felt like the Spartans' best opportunity to win since 2021, can really hurt. But that doesn't mean that the sky is falling.
I've said before during MSU's three-game losing streak that this wasn't ever going to be a championship year for the team. It's year one coming off of the worst season for MSU since 2016. While some issues still linger, the Spartans have been improving in other areas mentioned above and still have their goals in front of them.
In the next four games, MSU will just need to find two wins to be bowl-eligible for the first time since 2021. While that may be a disappointing goal to some fans who want to see the Spartans get back to the playoffs, it's simply a foundation in year one.
So while it may be easy to stay caught up on this loss because of the emotion surrounding it, it really may not change the trajectory of this season and there's no need to panic.
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