John L. Smith Named Big Ten Coach Of The Year
11/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 25, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State first-year coach John L. Smith, who orchestrated the nation's fourth-biggest turnaround in 2003, has been named the Dave McClain Coach of the Year as selected by the Big Ten media panel. Smith, who inherited a team that went 4-8 a year ago and finished eighth in the league at 2-6, produced an 8-4 record in 2003 and climbed to fourth in the Big Ten standings at 5-3. The 55-year-old Smith becomes just the fourth coach in Spartan history to earn Big Ten Coach of the Year honors, joining Denny Stolz (1974), Darryl Rogers (1978) and George Perles (1987).
"It would be more appropriate for the award to be named 'Coaches of the Year,'" Smith said. "My coaches did an outstanding job this season, and they deserve all of the credit. This is a nice honor and I appreciate it, but individual awards don't mean much. I'm driven by team awards, like winning championships. I'm excited about having an opportunity to coach this team to another win in the bowl game."
 Brandon Fields, who leads the conference and ranks No. 3 nationally in punting with his 46.3-yard average, has earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media.  | |
Red-shirt freshman Brandon Fields, who leads the conference and ranks No. 3 nationally in punting with his 46.3-yard average, has earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and second team from the coaches. His punting average ranks second on MSU's single-season chart, trailing only former All-American Greg Montgomery who averaged 47.8 yards in 1986. He has hit 20 punts 50 or more yards and had another 16 kicks downed inside the opponent's 20. The 6-foot-5, 219-pound Fields has earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors three times in 2003 (vs. Penn State, Notre Dame and Rutgers).
 Jeff Smoker, who leads the league in passing (269.9 yards per game) and total offense (262.4 ypg.), has been named second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. | |
Senior quarterback Jeff Smoker, who leads the league in passing (269.9 yards per game) and total offense (262.4 ypg.), has been named second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. Smoker ranks second in the conference in touchdown passes (21) and fourth in passing efficiency (133.7 rating). His 281 pass completions, 449 pass attempts, 3,239 passing yards and 21 TD passes all represent the top single-season totals in Spartan history. The 6-3, 224-pound Smoker posted his sixth 300-yard passing game of the season and the 10th of his career in the regular-season finale vs. Penn State, throwing for a season-high 357 yards and a school-record tying four TDs.
Senior guard offensive guard Joe Tate, a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches, has been a model of consistency in 2003, grading out 90 percent or better in all 12 games. The 6-5, 295-pound Tate ranks third on the team in pancake blocks with 37 and has permitted only 1.5 sacks in over 400 passing plays. He played a near-perfect game vs. Indiana, scoring a career-best 99 percent including three pancakes. Tate graded 97 percent each vs. Minnesota and Michigan.
Senior tackle Steve Stewart becomes the third Spartan named to the All-Big Ten second-team offense as selected by the coaches. The 6-5, 312-pound Stewart has graded out 90 percent or better in 10 of 12 games in 2003, including his last seven starts. He has produced 26 pancakes, including a season-best six takedowns vs. Iowa. Stewart scored a career-best 98 percent vs. Penn State in the regular-season finale. Stewart also graded 98 percent vs. Minnesota, including three pancakes. He has allowed only three sacks in over 400 passing plays this season.
Michigan State's starting defensive ends, senior Greg Taplin and junior Clifford Dukes, have earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and coaches, respectively.
 Greg Taplin, who leads the team in tackles for losses (13 for 66 yards) and sacks (10 for 60), has earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media. | |
The 6-5, 259-pound Taplin leads the team in tackles for losses (13 for 66 yards) and sacks (10 for 60). His 10 sacks rank second in the Big Ten. Taplin recorded four tackles for losses (19 yards) vs. Penn State in the regular-season finale, including a career-best three sacks (18).
The 6-3, 264-pound Dukes ranks second among Spartan defensive linemen in tackles with 54, including six sacks (25 yards). He posted five tackles vs. Michigan and returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown. Dukes registered a season-high eight stops vs. Illinois.
"The fact that only one of our players earned first-tem All-Big Ten honors only reinforces the notion that we're a team," Smith said. "We have a bunch of blue-collar players that overachieved this season. As coaches, we think more of our players than anyone else does. These players accepted the team concept and ran with it an extra mile. That speaks volumes about their character."
