Michigan State football is gearing up for its season opener against Florida Atlantic this Friday night. With a new coaching staff and a roster that has seen significant changes, the Spartans are focused on adapting to the present rather than dwelling on past performances.
Head coach Jonathan Smith and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi are emphasizing the importance of adjusting to what they see on the field. The Spartans are coming off a challenging 4-8 season and have brought in 61 new players, including 24 transfers. Similarly, FAU, which also finished 4-8 last year, has revamped its roster with 21 new transfers.
“I think what you rely on as a coaching staff is our years of coaching and our years of being in the system and being able to say, ‘Hey, okay, they're doing this, they haven't necessarily shown that, this is what we go to,’” Rossi, the new defensive coordinator, said Tuesday. “I'm not a big believer in making stuff up on the sideline. But the gray in the beard gives you a little bit of a Rolodex to be able to go back to some things that you've done before, and you're not necessarily making it up.
“So I think that's always a big thing in Game 1. There's unscouted looks. We're going to give them looks we haven't shown. They're going to give us looks we haven't seen. So it's, 'Hey, what are my roles and how do I adjust on this sideline?’”
Both teams are in a state of transition, but FAU has some returning players who could pose a challenge. The Spartans have studied FAU's previous games to understand their strategies, while also analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their own new players.
"So we've got an idea what it kind of looks like, but you're never totally certain until Friday,” he said.
“I said it to the team this morning: I think good coaching staffs always are adjusting to the talent that's on their on the current roster,” Smith said. “And so year in and year out, you do some self-scouting and adjust and throw in some new wrinkles. And we're counting on seeing that from them, and then obviously from ourselves.”
The coaching staff is prepared for unexpected plays from both sides, as they anticipate unscouted looks during the game. The focus for Michigan State will be on executing their game plan and minimizing mistakes, particularly in terms of turnovers and penalties.
“The quarterback that they got from Marshall, I think, is a good player, man. He's athletic. He can make plays with his feet,” Rossi said. “They brought in some receivers that we were looking at in terms of just evaluating. So they pose a tremendous challenge. …
“So for us, it's about going out and executing our calls, flying around to the ball and handling anything that they throw at us that we might not be able to see. Then we'll come back, look at it and see what we need to do for the next one.”
As they prepare for their first game, the Spartans are also implementing new NCAA rules that allow for helmet communication between coaches and players on the field. This change aims to streamline play-calling and enhance in-game adjustments.
“Oh, there's lots of stuff going on. There's boards, there's signals, there's hieroglyphics, there's cards,” Rossi said of what to expect from MSU’s sideline. “I mean, we've seen it last year, the extent that people go to try to cheat. So we want to make sure that we're able to have a variety of ways to get the signals in, whether it's through the earpiece, whether it's signaling, whether it's cards, whether it's smoke signals.
“Whatever we got to do.”
Related: Michigan State Football News: Aidan Chiles Set for his Debut as Michigan State's QB, Jonathan Smith Confident in Readiness
As the Spartans look to start the season on a positive note, the focus remains on their own performance and making the necessary adjustments to compete effectively against FAU.
Local East Lansing, MI
Most Popular
Comments / 0