MSU HC respects Ohio State but won’t treat Buckeyes differently

First-year Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans are facing a daunting challenge in Week 5.

The Spartans are 3-1, but they’re coming off a disappointing road loss to Boston College. Some programs have the luxury of a “bounce-back” game after a loss like that, but things aren’t getting any easier for MSU.

Up next is a date with No. 3 Ohio State in East Lansing. For a first-year head coach, this could be a huge moment for Smith’s squad and for the MSU program as he looks to establish a culture and identity. At the very least, it allows him to see how the Spartans stack up with one of the best teams in the country, let alone in the Big Ten, but Smith recently revealed that he doesn’t see it that way.

“I don’t know if we sit here and pinpoint, ‘OK these two opponents are going to tell us where we’re at as a program,’” Smith explained, according to On3’s Andy Backstrom. “We got a bunch of respect for them. But again, we’re going to treat this Saturday and our approach to this Saturday very similar, understanding that you’re going to have to play really well to win a game, and I think we approach that week in and week out.”

That’s the type of message a coach wants to have in his first year with a program, and that type of consistent mindset undoubtedly helped Smith build up the Oregon State program he just left.

Without a doubt, though, beating Ohio State would be a watershed moment for the Spartans. Even playing a competitive game with the Buckeyes would be huge for a program that hasn’t notched more than six wins since 2021.

Still, Smith will preach consistency week in and week out. He wants his team to prepare for Ohio State the same way they prepared for Prairie View A&M.

“We’re excited about the opportunity on Saturday. We get 12 of them guaranteed. I want our approach to be pretty consistent,” Smith said. “We respect everybody we play. Obviously, these guys demand some respect, and so we’ll give them that with our work and preparation. I think, hopefully, we’ll get to the point on Saturday where they’re going to be excited to play in this game.”