Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith is 1-0 to begin his tenure in East Lansing, but it didn't come easy.
The Spartans narrowly defeated Florida Atlantic to kick off the 2024 campaign by a final score of 16-10. The Spartans' play was sloppy throughout the game — leaving points on the board, turning the ball over and amassing 12 penalties for 140 yards.
Smith knows there is a lot to fix, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense stood tall against the Owls (outside of the penalties) and the head coach was proud of the way his entire team competed for 60 minutes of football.
"Obviously, you try to win the game and we got that done, so pleased with that," Smith said following the victory over FAU. "I do think the crowd was awesome. (The crowd) actually impacted the game — I look at us defensively, some of those stops, third down, fourth down, crowd noise, the energy into it. So, really appreciate everybody coming out and helping us there. Game one, you're going to learn a lot about your team, and we've got a lot to work on. What I did learn and what I was pleased with is that there's a response in this group. We are going to play for four quarters, to win the game in the fourth quarter, and we were able to do that."
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The Spartans narrowly defeated Florida Atlantic to kick off the 2024 campaign by a final score of 16-10. The Spartans' play was sloppy throughout the game — leaving points on the board, turning the ball over and amassing 12 penalties for 140 yards.
Smith knows there is a lot to fix, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense stood tall against the Owls (outside of the penalties) and the head coach was proud of the way his entire team competed for 60 minutes of football.
"Obviously, you try to win the game and we got that done, so pleased with that," Smith said following the victory over FAU. "I do think the crowd was awesome. (The crowd) actually impacted the game — I look at us defensively, some of those stops, third down, fourth down, crowd noise, the energy into it. So, really appreciate everybody coming out and helping us there. Game one, you're going to learn a lot about your team, and we've got a lot to work on. What I did learn and what I was pleased with is that there's a response in this group. We are going to play for four quarters, to win the game in the fourth quarter, and we were able to do that."
More:
Spartans Illustrated: Michigan State Spartans Football & Basketball Recruiting - Jonathan Smith is proud of Michigan State for competing for four quarters
MSU's Jonathan Smith earned his first win as head coach for the Spartans, but it didn't come easy against FAU.
