Columbus, Ohio - MSU's game plan, or lack thereof, on Saturday must have been a carbon copy of the debacle from two weeks ago against Michigan.
For the second straight week, this time against No. 4 Ohio State, the Spartans could not hold onto the ball or avoid racking up penalties. The Spartans lost to the Buckeyes 33-23.
"We made a lot of mistakes," MSU head coach John L. Smith said, adding that the team racked up too many penalties in the first half and "just killed ourselves."
Smith also said that, as was the case last week, the fact that the Spartans made "stupid mistakes" against a top-five team hurt them more.
"You can't afford to (make mistakes) against a good football team," Smith said.
"A few of them you might be able to overcome, but not to the degree that we had. So we have to become more focused, more disciplined and continue to work to get to the caliber of where we should be."
The Spartans dropped six passes and were penalized 12 times for 89 yards. These two mental lapses have the Spartans dazed and confused as they attempt to steer a fallen championship season into one still filled with success.
"We've got two games left, and all we can do is shoot for those two games and try and make this even more of a special season than it has been so far," Smith said.
Sophomore wide receiver Agim Shabaj and junior tight end Eric Knott had two drops, while sophomore wide receiver Matt Trannon and senior wide receiver Ziehl Kavanaght each missed one. Senior quarterback Jeff Smoker threw the ball slightly behind Kavanaght in the end zone on a two-point conversion attempt, but even after getting his hands on the ball, Kavanaght couldn't hold onto it.
Many of the penalties played major parts in ending MSU drives or allowing Ohio State ones to continue. The Buckeyes gained three first downs on MSU penalties while only committing two penalties themselves all game.
"A lot of mental errors triggered the lack of offense in the second half," Knott said. "We had some drops. The momentum just turned on us."
Senior quarterback Jeff Smoker, who threw for two touchdowns and 351 yards, as well as two interceptions, named penalties as the Spartans biggest enemy.
"Penalties will always kill you," Smoker said.
"You can't commit that many penalties and expect to win the game."
At two points, a captain was flagged for a personal foul. Junior linebacker Ronald Stanley and senior offensive lineman Paul Harker each were whistled for one, setting the tone for the undisciplined play that has plagued MSU all season.
"The first half, we came in, and we were just so upset with ourselves, just knowing that we're stopping ourselves," Harker said. "We're committing the penalties, and it was really upsetting to know we could have done so much better than we did."
Harker was called for a personal foul when he jumped over sophomore receiver Matt Trannon and hit an Ohio State player after the whistle.
"I thought I was playing through the whistle; I thought I was on time," Harker said. "Sometimes you get the call; sometimes you don't."
