Michigan State entered the matchup with Michigan seeking another winning streak to start the second half of the season after starting the season with a three-game winning streak.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, they failed to win for the second straight season, which would have been a monumental win for coach Jonathan Smith in his first season in East Lansing.

Coach Smith and his coaching staff have already matched last season's win total. They have experienced many problems since arriving in East Lansing, but that has not slowed their progress or enthusiasm. In just over half a season, Smith has proven that he is the man for the job, regardless of their record.

Smith instantly changed the culture in and around the Michigan State football program.

But even after all he had accomplished in a short period of time, Smith still had to practice against Michigan or in Ann Arbor. Both were first experiences for Smith. Unfortunately, he didn't get the results that he and the team had been working hard on for some time. Although he coached rivalry games elsewhere, he noted that the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry is one of the oldest and best in the country.

“Experiencing it, yeah, it’s passionate,” Smith said. “Neither side likes each other, and so it’s quite frustrating to come back to this.”