What MSU's Fitzgerald Said About Facing Northwestern for First Time

EAST LANSING --- Pat Fitzgerald would have some right to make this week about him. Most of the discussion certainly will be.

Michigan State (2-4 overall, 0-3 Big Ten) has certainly hit a rut as the losers of four straight. No. 25 Northwestern (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) is playing pretty well right now and is about to play its first game as a ranked team since the Fitzgerald era in Evanston ended. This will be Fitzgerald's first opportunity to coach against his alma mater, but he's not really approaching it any differently (at least not publicly).

"This week and this game is not about me," Fitzgerald said on Monday. "It's about the players on both teams. I'm very proud of my experience as a player there and the great teammates I had. I'm very proud of the teams and the coaches I worked with and the players I had the privilege to coach there.

"I'm very thankful for that experience, but I'm a Spartan, and I'm proud to be a Spartan. Our sole focus is getting our team better and getting prepared to play a top-25 team and find a way to be ready to go, you know, at noon on Saturday."

Limiting Distractions

Fitzgerald had been downplaying the personal importance of this game for a little bit, making it pretty clear that he won't show much of his hand about how he really feels about this upcoming game on a personal level.

Keeping the temperature cool is also probably for the best for him right now, too. A big part of what has made Fitzgerald popular in the early days of East Lansing, despite the 2-4 start, is the emotions he expresses on the sidelines that people woefully missed with Jonathan Smith. Fitzgerald got a little too carried away against Illinois, though, and flashed a middle finger at one point (probably at the refs) that was picked up on the official broadcast.

"I've got to be more disciplined and have more composure," he said. "I'm the leader of our team, I have high expectations of myself, and obviously, like I said, I make mistakes. I told the team this morning that I apologize for any distraction that I may have created, and I've got to keep my composure."

This is a distraction-filled matchup for both sides. Fitzgerald and his team cannot afford to get caught up in the obvious storyline in this one. The same sort of thing goes for the Wildcats, who have a starting quarterback in Aidan Chiles who would probably like to beat his old team. They also have to handle the added pressure that comes with being a ranked squad, even if it's being No. 25.

Welcome Back, Aidan Chiles

Fitzgerald also likely studied up plenty on Chiles in the early days of his Michigan State tenure. He sort of had a choice to make between Chiles and Alessio Milivojevic, though that choice may have been partially made for him by Chiles' benching late last season, Milivojevic's impressive play in succession, and the fact that Milivojevic had three years of eligibility to Chiles' one.

Chiles is now eligible for 2027 through the NCAA's new 5-for-5 eligibility rules, but that wasn't in place at the time. If the rule change had happened earlier, maybe Fitzgerald would have to think a little harder about it, given how high Chiles' ceiling is, but he probably still rides with Milivojevic as QB1 in that scenario.

The split from Michigan State and the decision to transfer to Northwestern seem to have been the right choice for Chiles, too. NU has gotten Chiles a lot closer to his ceiling under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly than MSU probably ever could. Chiles has 1,172 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns, and no interceptions in five games for the Wildcats this year.

"He's playing outstanding," Fitzgerald said about Chiles. "The touchdown-to-turnover ratio speaks for itself. I think he's executing Coach Kelly's offense excellently. He's given them a chance to win every game, and he's the reason why they've won the way they've won. Our hat's off to him. He's playing at a very high level and doing a great job."

Relationship with HC David Braun

Fitzgerald also still keeps in touch with current Northwestern head coach David Braun. Fitzgerald hired Braun away from North Dakota State to be NU's new defensive coordinator for the 2023 season, but Braun was thrust into the interim head coaching spot that year after Fitzgerald got fired. Northwestern stunningly managed an 8-5 season that year, and Braun earned the permanent gig and won Big Ten Coach of the Year.

"We've had lunch a couple times over the last couple years when, you know, I was helping the boys out over at Loyola [in Chicago]," Fitzgerald said about his relationship with Braun. "He's just a terrific guy, great family, and he's doing a terrific job. Really, really proud of him, and I'm not surprised at all. I mean, he's a heck of a football coach and doing a great job."