Michigan State football has just experienced its first Big Ten loss under Jonathan Smith, suffering a 38-7 defeat at home against Ohio State. Such a significant loss at home can be detrimental to a team’s morale, especially since it’s also Michigan State’s second loss of the season.
While winning the Big Ten or qualifying for the College Football Playoff was never highly likely for MSU this year, those were certainly some of the aspirations the players held. Unfortunately, this loss has effectively dashed their hopes of achieving either goal. There are concerns that the team’s mindset and motivation could be negatively affected now that those ambitions are out of reach.
In a postgame interview, Nate Carter addressed this concern, indicating that it won’t be an issue for the team moving forward.
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Carter is a key leader on the team, so his perspective is likely to resonate with his teammates. If he believes the team has adopted a “different mindset” that will only “increase” following the loss to Ohio State, I truly think that will be the case.
I really hope Carter is correct, because the challenges ahead are going to intensify. Six of Michigan State’s last seven opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in this week’s AP Poll, highlighting just how tough the remainder of the season will be.
However, as long as the team embraces the mindset that Carter has described, I’m confident they’ll still secure plenty of victories for the rest of the season.
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