In last Saturday's 31-20 loss to rival Michigan, Michigan State football defensive coordinator Joe Rossi was absent from his usual coaching position. Instead of being in the coaches booth watching from above, he could be found on the MSU sideline, igniting passion and know-how into his defensive players with intense face-to-face coaching.

This Saturday against Minnesota (5-3, 3-2), Rossi will return to the MSU sidelines with the hope of igniting the same passion and know-how to find a much needed victory against the Golden Gophers. It's a move that could spark a rally for a team thats suffered five straight losses. 

"Joe does a great job with the whole unit in regards to communication and direction," MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said. "He meets with those guys almost daily. That was some of the logic with him coming downstairs. I think we’ll stick with it."

Call it a change of scenery, a breath of fresh air, or simply a coach doing what’s necessary — but when Rossi stepped onto the grass at Spartan Stadium last Saturday, both improvement in play and improvement in mentality were showcased by a defense that needed it. Against Michigan, the Spartans held the Wolverines to 362 yards of offense — their best performance since limiting Nebraska to 261.

There wasn’t just a limitation in yardage, but a successful pass rush, an ability to get off the field on third downs and a team that fought for four quarters. On the sidelines and conducting it all was Rossi, who slapped helmets, jumped around and brought a fire to an MSU sideline that has been abnormally cold. 

"He told us that he was going to be [on the field against Michigan] to kind of bring a sense of togetherness in getting together before we went out on the field and when we got off the field," linebacker Jordan Hall said after last week's loss to Michigan. "I think it helped with the energy a lot. I think the energy was better than we’ve seen the last two weeks, we’ve just got to continue to grow with the execution."

Rossi being on the sideline doesn’t mean the MSU defense will shine game after game. It didn’t even shine against Michigan. Mistakes were still present and points were still let up against the Wolverines. But it played better, executed more soundly, exhibited heart and played four quarters with something that’s been foreign to this 2025 green and white team as of late: intensity. 

It’s hard to find intensity — or motivation, or any sort of positive emotion — amid a five-game losing streak. But with Rossi on the sidelines, being the fiery coach that he is, those intense, positive, and victorious emotions may just shift the mindset not only of the defensive players, but of the entire team. 

"The guys respond to him," secondary coach Blue Adams said. "It's good to get Rossi on the sideline. He brings a perspective because he's usually in the box, and he sees things really clearly. I thought it was good for us."

For the foreseeable future, Rossi will remain on the MSU sidelines, coaching just how he did against Michigan. This week's test in Minnesota will shed light on if Rossi’s move from the coaches booth to the sideline is as significant as it feels. 

The Golden Gophers offense averages 314.6 yards per game (121st in college football) and 23.9 points per game (96th in college football) and is coming off a game against Iowa where they only scored three points. On the day following Halloween, Rossi and his defense could snag a late treat of their own if they play efficiently, effectively and with intensity. 

From 2018 to 2023, Rossi served as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. On Saturday at 3:30 p.m., at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, he’ll stand opposite his former team — motivating, firing up, and coaching the Green and White defense with hopes that MSU can snap its losing streak. The game will air on the Big Ten Network.