Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on from the sideline during the third quarter in the game against Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Went Wrong For MSU During 1-4 Stretch in 2024

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 11:31 AM ET

After the Michigan State Spartans defeated Iowa at home last October, the program appeared to be on the upswing.

The team was 4-3 coming off its best game of the season, and MSU was heading into a matchup with a reeling Michigan team. The Spartans had all the momentum in the world and were looking to capitalize on it.

However, an inexcusable loss to the Wolverines on the road that week led to a disappointing collapse. Jonathan Smith’s team went from 4-3 to 5-7, looking largely uncompetitive in those losses and scraping by in the game the team won.

What went wrong for Smith in his first season in East Lansing, and how does he remedy it entering Year 2?

What went wrong

The biggest reason the Spartans sputtered down the stretch was poor trench play. The team could not protect Aidan Chiles, and he even suffered an injury against Indiana in a blowout loss.

MSU’s offensive line struggled all season, but in the loss to Rutgers, it was that group's worst performance. The offensive line allowed Chiles to be sacked twice and prevented the run game from finding enough holes.

After that game, Smith and his staff knew they needed to improve the offensive line, so they added three transfers who will start in 2025.

The trenches on the other side of the ball were the same way. The Spartans struggled to rush the passer from the edge or the interior, leading to teams comfortably walking them down the field and putting points on the board.

Against the Hoosiers, MSU struggled to get off the field. Indiana was 2-2 on fourth down and did not see many third downs in the game.

If the Spartans’ pass rush was better against that talented Hoosiers team, they would have had a better chance at an upset. However, the Spartans sputtered down the stretch and got blown out.

Health was also a major issue for MSU at the end of last season. The Spartans’ injury report in the final game of the year featured eight players, many in the defensive backfield.

MSU must finally stay healthy next season if it wants to stay alive for bowl contention towards the end of the season.

Spartan fans were disappointed by how last season ended, but the staff addressed those issues in the offseason. Will the team stay healthy and improve in the trenches so it doesn’t collapse again at the end of the year?

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