Michigan State Spartans coach Jonathan Smith suffered yet another setback. In Week 13, it was within reach before giving yet another conference game away, this time in the closing minutes to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 20-17.
Sitting at 3-8, the Spartans are going nowhere fast this season. With Smith's job security in East Lansing, there are possibly major red flags should the Michigan State administration opt to retain him.
If it were up to Hawkeyes' coach Kirk Ferentz, however, Smith's job would be safe for at least another season.
“What they did against Minnesota and a week ago against a really talented Penn State team,” Ferentz told reporters. “It shows they’re doing things right. Most importantly, the players are doing things right, which means they’re getting good guidance from their coaches. I felt very similar. To me, where they’re at, that’s where we were in 2000, and we did get a win, a legitimate win up at Penn State and Northwestern the week after, then lost that last one. It’s part of the process. Sometimes you’ve got to fail to succeed. If you’re doing it right, you’ll learn from your failure. That’s what I see across the way.”
Ferentz says the beginning of his Hawkeyes tenure reminds him a lot of what Smith is going through. Therefore, in his opinion, it's not justified to force him out after two seasons of bad football.
“Not that I’m coaching their team, but I’ve had great respect, and I have great respect for Jonathan as a person. His resume to me speaks to me. He’s a walk-on player who played really well. I can tell you, I’m not an expert on this one,” Ferentz said. “But I pay attention to college football. I don’t think winning at Oregon State is easy."
However, the Spartans, which mainly have a tradition of excellence dating back to the Mark Dantonio era, will have to find interest fast in order to not only put Smith in a sustainable position, but to win right away.
From now on, there are still many questions about Smith to be answered. Based on what happens next week against Maryland, his future should be much clearer by season's end.
But only time will tell, along with results.