EAST LANSING, Mich. – There are just over two weeks until the Michigan State Spartans football team begins its season.
As the Spartans prepare for their season opener, they had a chance to go at each other with some full-contact tackle football in the team’s first preseason scrimmage on Saturday (Aug. 12).
Head coach Jonathan Smith shared some of his thoughts on Michigan State’s scrimmage.
“We need to improve. There’s some competition. Kind of described it as a week of separation to the team in regards to depth charts but also just teams themselves-what team can separate in regards of getting better through the dog days of camp?” said Smith.
It’s all about getting better for Smith and the Spartans.
Last season was his first year with the team.
He led them to a 5-7 record, which is a step up from the previous season’s record of 4-8.
Smith had a six-year tenure at Oregon State and even took the Beavers as high as the 11th spot in the College Football Playoff rankings during the 2023 season.
He brought three Oregon State players with him when he came to East Lansing: offensive lineman Tanner Miller, tight end Jack Velling, and quarterback Aiden Chiles.
Surprisingly, Chiles wasn’t a huge topic of conversation in coach Smith’s thoughts on the scrimmage as the team’s starting quarterback last season.
However, the defense and the backfield were standout groups in Smith’s eyes.
“Depth defensively showed up, a lot of guys, a lot of reps there. Played sound defense pretty much throughout,” said Smith. “We took some steps in the run game. There was some quality reps out of the backfield. A lot to work on, though,” Smith said.
Michigan State opens up its season Aug. 29 against Western Michigan in East Lansing. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.