Saturday's matchup against No. 13 Indiana was the type of result that Spartan fans have grown accustomed to against highly-ranked teams in the past few years.

Despite an early 10-0, Indiana scored the next 47 points — resulting in an embarrassing 47-10 loss at home for MSU.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith shared his thoughts following the game, and ripped the band-aid off to start his postgame press conference.

“Well, obviously that was tough,” he said. “You’re gonna get exposed against a really good team when you don't execute well. And credit to those guys (on Indiana), sometimes we quickly just think about ourselves — those guys executed at a really high level.”

Indiana’s domination is clearly more than just a fluke. Now at 9-0 overall (6-0 in the Big Ten), the Hoosiers are a legitimate threat to compete for a Big Ten title, and if Spartan fans needed a sign, or merely an example of how quickly a program can turn around (even one that isn't a perennial powerhouse), Indiana and head coach Curt Cignetti showed it is very much possible).

It is also important to note, however, that what is happening with Cignetti and IU is not all that common. It is going to take time for Smith and Michigan State to build things up.

As mentioned, Michigan State jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. The Spartans' first drive ended in a 47-yard field goal by kicker Jonathan Kim. This was not only the first time Indiana had trailed in the 2024 season, it was also the first time the Hoosiers had given up points in the first quarter on the campaign. On MSU's second drive, quarterback Aidan Chiles found true freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh in the end zone on an 18-yard touchdown pass.

Michigan State actually controlled the first quarter quite well, out-gaining IU in total yardage by a tally of 128 to 52. However, the Hoosiers overwhelmed the Spartans in the next three quarters of play and exerted their dominance.

“You know, start of the game felt like the guys had great energy and we moved around well, and the first quarter went our way, but then it turned into playing three more quarters against a really good team," Smith said.

A silver lining for the Spartans after the blowout defeat is that Chiles, who went down in the third quarter with an apparent arm injury, avoided a serious injury. Fortunately for MSU, Smith expects Chiles to be available for the game at Illinois on Nov. 16, following the bye week.

Other key players, such as cornerback Charles Brantley, safety Malik Spencer and rush end Anthony Jones Jr. all left the game as well. Smith does not expect any of those injuries to be season-ending.

Prior to Saturday's contest versus Indiana, Michigan State averaged 187.5 rushing yards per game and nearly 4.6 yards per carry in its previous two games versus Iowa and Michigan.

The lack of rushing success Saturday jumps off the stat sheet, and Smith addressed the concerns over a disappointing output in the rushing attack. Excluding quarterbacks, Michigan State recorded 17 rushes for 32 yards (1.88 yards per carry). Overall, MSU finished the game against IU with minus-24 rushing yards (due to quarterback sacks and punter Ryan Eckley recorded minus-9 yards as well).

"The line of scrimmage matchup, we lost by a wide margin," Smith said. "They did a nice job in their movement, credit to those guys, but we didn't execute well."

He later talked about this Michigan State group's ability to bounce back.

“I’ve liked this group from the start, I think these guys will be back," Smith said about his team. "They’re disappointed — shoot, even embarrassed — but I'm pretty confident that they know what’s in front of them. They've got three more opportunities to still feel good about this season.”

Smith was asked about the “gap” between MSU and the top teams it has faced this season, in which MSU has lost by 31 points (Ohio State), 21 points (Oregon) and 37 points this week to Indiana.

"(We've) got to keep working, keep growing," he said. "This is a game of development. We’re in year one. I like this roster, but we've got to grow, develop these players currently, and you've got to be recruiting to continue to add to the locker room.”

The Spartans have their second bye week of the season this week, which provides a chance to reset, and as Smith said, an opportunity to learn, grow, and continue to develop.

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