"I’ve never been a believer in this idea of a trap game," Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith said Wednesday during a media availability. "Our approach this week: We’ve got to get better. We respect every time we get to line up against somebody. We know we’re going to have to play well to earn a win, and we want to be in this constant state of improvement. We have to improve from Week 2 to Week 3."

To sustain this constant improvement that Smith speaks of, it all starts with MSU preparing for the team it has circled in red marker. The Penguins, coached by fifth year head coach Doug Philips, possess a bruising run first offense led by mobile junior quarterback Beau Brungard and an improving defense that’s only allowed four touchdowns all season – three of which came late in the fourth quarter. 

Facing Brungard — who currently leads the FCS in rushing yards — gives Michigan State a chance to face a mobile quarterback, a contrast to the slower, pocket-passing quarterbacks it saw in the first two weeks.

While Michigan State ranks eighth nationally in rushing defense, it has yet to scheme against a quarterback with Brungard’s dual-threat ability. It will be a test for the Spartans’ defense — a good and necessary one that could help prepare them for future matchups.

The Penguins defense also supplies a test that the Spartans will attempt to ace. Youngstown State's front seven consists of a solid and aggressive group of players that could give any team trouble, and its well-coached secondary could do the same. To quarterbacks coach Jon Boyer, his focus is on this test, just as it's on improvement.  

“It's about us, and that's my focus,” Boyer said. “So to me, this is a great opportunity for us to continue to go out and play against a really good opponent and see where we're at in our next stage of development.”

To improve also means to have confidence – and arrogance. 

This is what MSU and its players will try to strive for on Saturday and beyond: to be confident but not overly confident. This mindset can be challenging, especially coming off an exhilarating 42-40 double-overtime victory against Boston College last Saturday, but controlling confidence could go a long way in how the Spartans perform against Youngstown State. 

“You want to build some confidence,” Smith said. “But there's still plenty to clean up. We don't have this thing completely solved, we need to improve and grow individually. We want to be coaching confidence, but at the same time we want to be in a constant state of improvement.”

While MSU coaches and players attempt to manage their confidence, fans of Spartan football may just let their confidence run wild, especially after viewing the numbers. 

In all-time matchups, MSU is 9-0 against FCS opponents and 3-0 against Youngstown State, including a 42-14 victory in 2021. While the Spartans have never let the small-school underdog achieve a historic victory, other programs that share the FBS status have. 

Through two weeks of the 2025 season, FCS teams have defeated FBS opponents four times — including Long Island University's 28-23 win over Eastern Michigan last Saturday.

Since 2020, FCS programs have recorded 36 wins in 593 games against FBS teams. Northwestern is the only Big Ten team to lose in that span, falling to Southern Illinois in 2022.

So on Saturday — regardless of division, confidence, talent or coaching — Michigan State still has a football game to play, one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Spartans will try to improve, manage their confidence and win their third straight game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Spartan Stadium. Big Ten Network will air the game.