Former Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is having a rough season with Michigan State.

Coming into Saturday’s game against the Gophers, the defensive coordinator has the Spartans last in scoring in the 18-team Big Ten Conference (32.5 points per game) and 15th in total defense (380 yards per game).

Last week, Rossi moved from his regular perch in the coaches’ booth down to the sideline for Michigan State’s 31-20 loss to then-No. 25 Michigan. That’s where the former Minnesota defensive coordinator will be on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith, who is 3-5 this year and 8-12 overall in East Lansing, liked Rossi’s presence on the field. “We needed to obviously fix some things defensively,” he said. “I did think the effort defensively — those

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