ESPN College Football

Last season, the Spartans put the dis in dysfunction. They finished 4-8, losing six of their last seven games. Players stopped going to class. They lost to archrival Michigan, 49-3, and in the season finale, to Penn State, 61-7. None of that came close to the torment suffered by senior quarterback Jeff Smoker, who began the season as an All-American candidate and ended it in treatment for substance abuse.

A year later, all this Michigan State team shares with that one is a name and address. The No. 10 Spartans are 7-1 and the last unbeaten (4-0) team in the Big Ten as No. 12 Michigan (7-2) comes into East Lansing on Saturday. Where last year's team was at a loss for words about its failures, this year's team isn't shy about talking about its success. Of course, that may be a a reflection of its coach, who has the shortest off-ramp between his brain and his mouth of any head coach in college football. But, more importantly, Smith's schemes and style have everything to do with the turnaround.

Ask most coaches if the season has been bigger than expected, and they won't give you a positive answer because they think it would denigrate their players. Smith simply nodded and said, "Yeah. We knew coming in if things were good here, we wouldn't be here. That what they hire a new coach for."

Spartans Getting Downright Defensive

For as good as the Michigan State offense has been this season, the defense may be the biggest key to the Spartans' success. The defense, which has been essentially the same traditional 4-3 scheme since the days of coach George Perles in the 1980s, has changed to an aggressive philosophy that believes in pressuring the quarterback. Last year, the Spartans had 19 sacks in 12 games. They are up to 34 sacks and counting this fall. The 6-foot-5, 259-pound Greg Taplin, who had two sacks a year ago, shares the team lead with six. "They have me playing in space," he said. "It's just one-on-one with the tackle. I can beat up on a tackle. I can go inside, go outside, use my speed. The scheme last year was more of a gap system. You couldn't leave your gap. You couldn't really be a ballplayer. It was kind of like you were a robot." Asked how long it took him to figure out that this system would be tailor-made for him, Taplin smiled. "The first day. The very first day," he said. "The first time I picked up the playbook last winter, I smiled. Once we started working on my stance, I was still smiling. It's kind of a sprinter's stance. That's what I did in high school." With the way the defense has been playing -- and the success the Spartans have enjoyed heading into the Michigan game -- there's been little reason for Taplin to stop smiling. -- Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com

Jeff Smoker's worth to Michigan State can be measured in his absence. He didn't play the second half of the Louisiana Tech game, and the Spartans lost, 20-19. Sure, Smoker's abscence had nothing to do with the Bulldogs scoring two touchdowns in the last 1:09 of the game. Louisiana Tech scored, recovered an onside kick, then had the winning drive extended when Greg Taplin drew a face-mask personal foul. But maybe the score isn't that close if Smoker is guiding the offense in that second half.

A heartbreaking loss can drain a team of its confidence, especially a team that had been in a committed relationship with self-doubt. Instead, this loss had a galvanizing effect. When the Spartans entered their locker room after the game, Smith asked them to take a knee. A few players remained standing, and a few others sat.

"Men, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" thundered Smith. "Everybody get on a (colorful adjective) knee!"

Smith spoke for five minutes or so, blistering raw every inch of skin the loss had gotten under.

"It was just the worst feeling," Taplin said. "It was our first time losing under Coach Smith. We didn't know how he reacted. Seeing how he reacted was a speech that we didn't want to see again."

Soon after the game, Taplin, still distraught about the penalty, went into see Smith, who told him he was no more to blame for the loss than anyone else. The senior understands that, but that doesn't mean he has gotten over it.

"To be honest with you," the senior said, "I still think about it."

Smoker blames himself for the loss, too. An injury to his right big toe prevented him from playing in the second half. Smoker returned to the field the following week and led Michigan State to a 22-16 victory at Notre Dame, the opponent that made Smoker a national figure three years ago. On fourth-and-10, with the Spartans trailing, Smoker ignored a blitz and threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Herb Haygood with 1:58 to play. Michigan State won, 27-21, and Smoker was on his way to becoming an honorable mention freshman All-America.

By last season, Smoker and wide receiver Charles Rogers were both being touted as All-Americans. Even the coaching staff bought into the hype.

"You don't want guys being jealous," Smoker said. "I was really pushed to throw to Chuck last year whether he was open or not. Most plays were designed for him. It was hard in the locker room. The guys sense it. Other teams sense it. They weren't dumb."

Rogers made All-America and won the Biletnikoff Award. Smoker's life spiraled out of control. After seven increasingly erratic games, he checked into a substance abuse problem. There would be no more alcohol-fueled nights.

Smoker's football future, if he stabilized his life, fell to a coach who had never met him. When he first met with Smoker, Smith said, "I told him, 'From our standpoint, you're going to have to prove to this team that you're accountable. When you prove (that), we'll invite you to compete on the football team.' We came up against a dilemma. We either have to let him back on the team or we have to say goodbye. We held the carrot waaay out there. Each step he has taken is a step in the right direction."

Jeff Smoker is a big reason the Spartans are in the driver's seat in the Big Ten race.

In August, Smoker quickly won the starting job. Through eight games, he's second in the Big Ten in passing efficiency, having completed nearly two of every three passes (180-of-273) for 2,070 yards, 12 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

"He had done everything we had asked, and there was a lot," Smith said. "He's a good-hearted kid. You want him to really change his life. You hate that anybody would be given that kind of talent and waste it."

Smith is protective of Smoker. He doesn't like to see him do too many interviews. Smoker is clear-eyed, and his smile off the field is as quick as his release on it. His teammates, Smoker said, "never stopped accepting me."

Smoker is also smart enough to know that he will fight his battle every day. That's especially difficult living among college kids. He has cut off friendships.

"Anyone will tell you that on a college campus, (temptation) is next door, down the street. Anything you want," Smoker said. "That definitely makes it harder. You've got to know where to hang out, have friends who want to do other things. You have to watch a movie, or watch TV. What do you do when you come home from work? You put your feet up and watch TV. Maybe you don't have to have something to stimulate you. I was looking for something. I don't need that.

"I'm still watching over it," Smoker said. "It hasn't been that long ago that I was on the other end. Some people think I'm doing perfect. It's a day-to-day thing. It doesn't go away automatically."

Smoker has handled his success with aplomb. He will sign autographs until the last kid rides off on his bike. Offered a back route out of the locker room after one recent game, Smoker declined.

"I'm only going to be able to do this once," he said.

Michigan State would be the feel-good story of the season, if it weren't for its quarterback, who's an even better one.

Ivan Maisel is a senior writer at ESPN.com. He can be reached at ivan.maisel@espn3.com.