Joe Rossi, a bright spot in the sea of madness that is Michigan State football

This may not be a typical article that you read on Michigan State football. While normally we at Spartan Shadows share news and information about the state of Spartans Athletics, the football program, led by second-year head coach Jonathan Smith has seen recent woes decline into a desperation to execute.

Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi has seen his job come under plenty of fire with Smith’s head on the line. The former Minnesota defensive coordinator was hired by MSU prior to last season after leading two top-10 defenses at Minnesota, and rose through the ranks as a defensive coach. 

Amid the Spartans many problems on the field thus far during the year, the green and white began the year by getting gashed on the defensive side of the ball in the second game of the year against Boston College. Rossi’s defense gave up 40 points to the Eagles, who currently rank 17th in the ACC, with a 1-7 record after losing to Louisville 38-24 this past weekend.

Rossi did not do much to help his case the next week, as the Youngstown State Penguins came to town, and put up an impressive 21 points against the Spartans. Backups playing crucial downs, and mental mistakes were the main problems the green and white encountered during Week 3.

With all the scrutiny that Rossi and the entire Spartan coaching staff has been under, many fans and alumni alike were calling for his head, due to the defensive problems that were mentioned earlier, and a lack of energy or enthusiasm from him, as he was up in the booth instead of on the sideline.

That all changed this past weekend, though, as Rossi moved to the sidelines to get closer to his players during Saturday night’s game against Michigan.  

The message? Simple and concrete. The response? An eruption of support from the Spartan fanbase, with some even calling for Rossi to be the interim coach if Smith were to get fired. 

When Rossi was asked about how big the rivalry is during a media conference before the game, Rossi stated, “It’s the biggest one I’ve ever coached in. I’ve coached a lot of rivalry games. Maine it was New Hampshire, Minnesota it was Wisconsin, but this one is the biggest one I’ve ever been a part of.”

During a play in the third quarter of the Michigan game, the Spartans got a fumble that was eventually called back, but when the team ran to the sidelines with the ball, Rossi was the first person there to congratulate them and celebrate, even pumping his fist in the air.

It was a fresh breath of air for all Spartans fans that have wanted to see a bit of inspiration and fight from the coaching staff. Rossi may not have the coaching experience yet to head a program, but he sure has multiple fanbases supporting his love for the game right behind him.