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Jonathan Smith addresses Michigan State’s approach ahead of rivalry vs. Michigan
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Jonathan Smith’s Michigan State Spartans are gearing up for one of college football’s most heated rivalry games in Week 9. The Spartans are traveling to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines in The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
Smith’s Spartans are coming into this game with momentum after the team upset the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 8. That win snapped a 3-game losing streak for the Spartans. Now, all focus shifts to in-state rival Michigan.
After Saturday’s win, the 1st-year Spartan coach was asked about his team’s approach to the rivalry game.
“We’re going to stay pretty consistent to our approach tomorrow,” Smith explained. “We’re all about learning from this, what we’ve seen, correcting and improving, and then, yeah, we’ll flip the page pretty quickly before next week.”
The Week 8 action made this game more interesting because, with a Michigan loss and a Michigan State win, these rivals will enter the matchup with the same record. Both teams are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in B1G play.
“One of the best things about college football is playing in rivalry games and this game means a ton,” admitted the coach.
This rivalry has been back-and-forth in recent times. The Wolverines have won 3 of the last 5, but both teams are 5-5 in the last 10. In 2023, the Wolverines dominated the Spartans, picking up 49-0 victory in East Lansing. The Spartans last won the matchup in 2021 when the team secured a 37-33 win at home.
As mentioned above, Smith is in his first season as the head man in East Lansing. The coach previously spent 6 seasons at Oregon State, leading the team to 2 bowl games.
Smith’s first game against Michigan will kick off from Michigan Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Tradition. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.