Smith starting to understand MSU vs. UM rivalry
It took two losses but John L. Smith is starting to understand the Michigan State vs. Michigan rivalry reports Steve Grinczel of MLive.com. Smith believes it will take more Spartan victories to truly turn this series into more of a rivalry. Saturday would be a good start.
While Smith hasn’t taken to calling U-M folk “blue bellies” — his favorite term for Kentucky when he was at Louisville — he fully appreciates what Saturday’s noon game in Spartan Stadium will mean to the state, the fans, his recruiting base, his resume as a coach and most of all, the players involved.
“Not having anything to hang your hat on, and then getting your tail kicked for a couple of years makes you appreciate it more,” Smith said at his Monday press conference. “It’s (rivalry games) the same as other places; it’s just a little bit bigger here.”