First-year Michigan State defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi knew he had his work cut out for him when he made the move to East Lansing from Minnesota this season, and his fresh approach seems to already be paying dividends.

The Spartans defeated Florida Atlantic Friday night 16-10 in an outcome that felt flat given the overall expectations of the matchup. Offensively, there’s plenty of work to do and questions to be answered. But, for the first time in quite a while, the defense was the catalyst to a win — that can be credited to Rossi and his unit.

“I was proud of how hard they played," Rossi said when asked about his initial reaction to how the unit played. "That was the first thing … I thought they were physical. We missed some (tackles), but when we missed, we missed them with leverage, which is the goal.”