‘Nobody’s coming to save us’: Joe Rossi, Spartan defense embrace pressure ahead of Indiana
MSU's defense is focused on simplifying, staying united, and finding confidence
The losses have been piling up for the Michigan State Spartans; three straight disappointing losses to Big Ten teams have Michigan State sitting at 3-3, yet to win a game in conference play.
The struggles have come in bunches for the group, but the defense has been an issue of concern all season. The Spartans sit with the worst scoring defense in the entire Big Ten, allowing 31.8 points per game. In addition to the scoring, they also sit bottom five in yards allowed per game at 369.2.
This performance has clearly been underwhelming, adding a sense of pressure to the team as they face No. 3-ranked Indiana Saturday, which has the second-best offense in the Big Ten.
For defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, he believes there is beauty in the pressure - and he differentiates it from stress.
“I think there is a difference between pressure and stress,” Rossi said. “Pressure is kind of a privilege, right? Pressure is what comes when being involved with something that is high stakes, it’s important. So I think if you coach college football, there is pressure; if you are a doctor in the operating room, there’s pressure. Now, stress is when you kind of let it bring you down, or it affects your ability to do your job. So I think we choose to look at it as pressure as opposed to stress. I think everyone’s going about their work and putting in the time to be better during the week so we can go and be better on game day.”
With the way that the team has performed in recent weeks, it may be easy to hit the panic button as a roster and enter scramble mode. Rossi doesn’t believe in that and says the only way to evaluate the situation is to be honest with yourself as a team.
“I think the way you have relationships with players in 2025 is different,” Rossi said. “Because back in the day, things like ‘I said so’ and fear don’t really fly anymore. I don’t think they fly with your kids either, when you’re a parent. I think the best thing to do is be honest with yourself and the situation you are in, and show examples of why you are in the situation, and then show examples of how you are going to get out of the situation, and know that you are in it together. When people feel that way on a team, then they are willing to work. I think when you start the blame/complain/deflect operation, then what happens is you pull people apart and then you’re done.”
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