EAST LANSING – Jonathan Smith is a former walk-on quarterback who worked his way up from graduate assistant to position coach to coordinator before earning a shot running a program.

The second-year Michigan State coach will face a counterpart who took a similar path this week. USC’s Lincoln Riley didn’t match Smith’s star status as a player but has become one of the highest-profile coaches in the sport.

They’re both in the business of presenting formidable offensive attacks and the Trojans have been among the best doing so.

Michigan State (3-0) plays at USC (3-0, 1-0) on Saturday (11 p.m. ET, FOX) and will be tasked with attempting to slow down and also keep up with a high-powered attack.

“You can talk about all three phases for this group. They challenge you in a lot of ways,” Smith s

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