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“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” — Leo Tolstoy
A quote that should resonate with every returning player for Michigan State, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
A team once synonymous with defensive grit and attitude, producing top-tier talent from its defense year in and year out, was reduced to a season so bad defensively that it is hard to even go back and talk about.
To refresh anyone’s memory who had successfully forgotten about how putrid the defense truly was last year: It didn’t start that way.
The Spartans held the Western Michigan Broncos to just six points in the season opener.
A fabrication of what the defense really was.
Due to injuries and a lack of commitment from the players to buy into the defensive scheme and coaching staff as a whole, the defense crumbled.
Michigan State allowed 40 points to Boston College and 45 points to USC in two of the next three games. Following that stretch, the Spartans allowed exactly 38 points in three consecutive games, followed by two straight games of allowing 31 points.
It wasn’t until new starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic became the starter and was able to matriculate the offense down the field a few times that the defense got to rest and start playing real football.
Once Milivojevic took over at quarterback, directly affecting the defense due to his offensive abilities, the defense never allowed more than 28 points, won its first and only conference game, and, most importantly, started to buy into Joe Rossi’s defense.
That was a pivotal reason why Pat Fitzgerald’s first hire to his staff once coming aboard in East Lansing was to retain Rossi, keeping the momentum and toughness the Spartans had found over the final four games heading into the 2026 season.
However, there has now been quite a bit of turnover on the defensive side.
That includes 14 new transfers, including six projected starters. That, coupled with a slew of incoming freshmen, means ample minutes will be filled by players replacing those who departed through the transfer portal or graduation.
Still, a boatload of new transfer portal players can sometimes be a blessing in disguise, just as it was for Curt Cignetti and the reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
If the returning players can keep up the momentum found last year and help get the plethora of new players added to the defense to learn and buy into the Rossi scheme quickly, the defense will have a chance to become very aggressive.
The Spartans’ schedule isn’t loaded with offensive juggernauts, with Oregon in East Lansing being far and away the toughest opposing offense. That gives the defense a true chance at becoming a lockdown unit early, especially with a strong showing against Notre Dame.
Then, coupling that into big games against Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois, the defense will have an opportunity to build confidence before heading into the bigger matchups that end the regular season.
The offense is going to run a tight ship and try to move the ball with heavy plays and deep shots when the defense is in a lull. But it’s the defense that has many fans worried about its performance.
For Michigan State to have the season most fans are hoping for, it’ll all come down to the 11 guys stopping opposing offenses.
Defense wins games.
For the Spartans in 2026, it may be the difference between another disappointing season and a complete turnaround.
Continue reading...
A quote that should resonate with every returning player for Michigan State, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
A team once synonymous with defensive grit and attitude, producing top-tier talent from its defense year in and year out, was reduced to a season so bad defensively that it is hard to even go back and talk about.
To refresh anyone’s memory who had successfully forgotten about how putrid the defense truly was last year: It didn’t start that way.
The Spartans held the Western Michigan Broncos to just six points in the season opener.
A fabrication of what the defense really was.
Due to injuries and a lack of commitment from the players to buy into the defensive scheme and coaching staff as a whole, the defense crumbled.
Michigan State allowed 40 points to Boston College and 45 points to USC in two of the next three games. Following that stretch, the Spartans allowed exactly 38 points in three consecutive games, followed by two straight games of allowing 31 points.
It wasn’t until new starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic became the starter and was able to matriculate the offense down the field a few times that the defense got to rest and start playing real football.
Once Milivojevic took over at quarterback, directly affecting the defense due to his offensive abilities, the defense never allowed more than 28 points, won its first and only conference game, and, most importantly, started to buy into Joe Rossi’s defense.
That was a pivotal reason why Pat Fitzgerald’s first hire to his staff once coming aboard in East Lansing was to retain Rossi, keeping the momentum and toughness the Spartans had found over the final four games heading into the 2026 season.
However, there has now been quite a bit of turnover on the defensive side.
That includes 14 new transfers, including six projected starters. That, coupled with a slew of incoming freshmen, means ample minutes will be filled by players replacing those who departed through the transfer portal or graduation.
Still, a boatload of new transfer portal players can sometimes be a blessing in disguise, just as it was for Curt Cignetti and the reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
If the returning players can keep up the momentum found last year and help get the plethora of new players added to the defense to learn and buy into the Rossi scheme quickly, the defense will have a chance to become very aggressive.
The Spartans’ schedule isn’t loaded with offensive juggernauts, with Oregon in East Lansing being far and away the toughest opposing offense. That gives the defense a true chance at becoming a lockdown unit early, especially with a strong showing against Notre Dame.
Then, coupling that into big games against Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois, the defense will have an opportunity to build confidence before heading into the bigger matchups that end the regular season.
The offense is going to run a tight ship and try to move the ball with heavy plays and deep shots when the defense is in a lull. But it’s the defense that has many fans worried about its performance.
For Michigan State to have the season most fans are hoping for, it’ll all come down to the 11 guys stopping opposing offenses.
Defense wins games.
For the Spartans in 2026, it may be the difference between another disappointing season and a complete turnaround.
Continue reading...
