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EAST LANSING — Jonathan Smith warned about “chasing ghosts.” So did Joe Rossi.
In other words, Michigan State football’s new staff can’t worry as much about what Florida Atlantic did a year ago. Their focus needs to be on adjusting to what they see on the field when the Spartans kick off the season Friday night.
And on themselves.
“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?’”
Michigan State’s defensive coordinator Joe Rossi looks on while working with the linebackers during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing.
The first game of the Smith Era at MSU against FAU (7 p.m.,, Big Ten Network) mirrors a lot of modern college football in the transfer portal era. Yes, coaching changes always bring a lot of newness and always have. But the Spartans, coming off a 4-8 season, have 61 new players from a year ago at this time that includes 24 transfers arriving and 38 departing.
FAU, 4-8 last season in the debut of former Texas head coach and Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman, also overhauled its roster. The Owls had 21 transfers arrive and 35 players leave.
Smith said Monday…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-trying-avoid-chasing-223835274.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-08-27 22:38:35
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