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MSU coach puts Indiana football on par with OSU and Oregon

Posted on by L. Dreeye
MSU coach puts Indiana football on par with OSU and Oregon

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith has a unique perspective on the Big Ten title race.

Smith is currently the only coach in the conference to face Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana this season. Michigan and Purdue will join the club in the coming weeks, but the Spartans are exclusive members for now and have not performed well in any conference games.

Michigan State beat Indiana 10-0 on Saturday but was outscored 47-10 in the final three quarters. The No. 13 Hoosiers (9-0; 6-0 Big Ten) set the record for the best start in program history.

Smith had high praise for IU when asked after the game how he would compare the three teams.

More: Indiana Indoor Football QB Kurtis Rourke Returns from Injury as Hoosiers Remain Perfect

“I think the physicality, the d-line, gave us problems,” Smith said of IU. “I think they will match each other very well in this stadium. I think their execution, they don’t outdo themselves, when there are games to be made, they make it and I think they can play with anyone.”

Indiana had seven sacks (the most since a win over Illinois on Nov. 11, 2017) and 15 tackles for loss (the most since a loss to Penn State on Nov. 12, 2016) while holding Michigan State to -36. yards.

It was the fewest yards allowed in program history.

He later praised the “excellent job” Cignetti had done in building the squad, signing 51 new players (27 transfers) since taking over and implementing his scheme. Cignetti transferred almost his entire offensive coaching staff from JMU, as well as several defensive assistants.

“Give him credit for what he did,” Smith said.

Indiana and Oregon are tied for first place in the Big Ten standings with identical 7-0 conference records. Ohio State and Penn State are tied for second at 6-1. The Hoosiers will play Ohio State on Nov. 23.

Michael Niziolek is a reporter for the Bloomington Herald-Times in Indiana. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all of his reporting by clicking here.