What a difference a year can make.

At this time last year the Spartan program resembled the closest thing to anarchy that East Lansing has ever seen. Bobby Williams, the Spartans’ former head coach, was ungracefully dismissed from his duties. A program that only years before began to regain its momentum was now at a critical juncture. Nobody projected the Spartans to be as successful as they have been this season; in less than a year they have already reasserted their prominence in the Big Ten.

Surprisingly, Michigan State’s leadership has come from the very same person that prompted last year’s tailspin: quarterback Jeff Smoker. Smoker, who became an instant punch line for college football pundits following his admission of substance abuse, has elevated his play this year, perhaps even exceeding the high expectations of him prior to the 2002 season.

“He’s been a tremendous quarterback in this league since he’s been in the league,” Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez said about the rejuvenated Smoker. “He played as a true freshman and was very productive. I think this system that coach Smith has fits him to the ‘T’. You see that he understands it more and more each week. He executes it well and you know Michigan State as long as I’ve been in the league has never been in a lack of talent.”

As last year’s tribulations revealed however, the coaching staff has not always had the most success harnessing in all of that talent. Enter former Louisville head coach John L. Smith, who was hired to takeover the embattled program. Much has been made of Smith’s animated sideline antics and the energy he has infused in this program, but his real success has been in humbling the team and making them earn their stake in college football. Smith made sure to derail the preseason hype machines, preventing players from becoming too consumed with their egos, and as a result has a team that is 7-3 with big wins over Notre Dame, Minnesota and Iowa.

“I think the players have bought into his plan and starting with the quarterback he’s got the best players that fit what he wants to do,” Alvarez said about his new Big Ten colleague. “I think he’s brought his program and the hardest thing when you bring your program is to have a group of guys buy into it and sometimes that’s difficult.”

Smith, who helped mold quarterbacks Chris Redman and Dave Ragone into star quarterbacks during his days at Louisville, has implemented a spread offense that opposing teams have had a hard time slowing down. For the season, the Spartans have averaged 278 yards passing per game with a 63 percent completion rate. Ten games into the season, Smoker has already accumulated 2675 passing yards, good enough for top honors in the Big Ten, which is more than anyone could have anticipated.

Playing on a team that has traditionally utilized its hefty running backs to open up the passing game, Smoker’s performance throughout the year has allowed for the adoption of Smith’s offensive philosophy. Smoker has run the offense so proficiently that at one point in the season he had gone 200 passing attempts without registering an interception. As expected, Smoker’s pass attempts have continued to increase, with his season high 55 attempts coming last week in Columbus against Ohio State.

Though no Spartan receiver has emerged from the pack like Plaxico Burress or Charles Rogers during their days in East Lansing, numerous receivers have come through with big performances week in and week out. Agim Shabaj, Michigan State’s deep threat receiver has emerged as a game-breaking playmaker for a balanced Spartan offense and leads the Spartans receiving corps with 52 receptions, 652 yards, and 5 touchdowns.

An equally challenging defensive assignment will be State’s tight end Eric Knott. The 272-pound junior tight end will figure prominently into Michigan State’s game plan as evidenced by his 23 receptions for 249 yards on the year. Whether it is a catch down the middle or a punishing block in run protection, Knott will make his presence felt, and will create numerous mismatches against Wisconsin’s defensive backfield.

With last week’s loss against Ohio State, MSU suffered its first road loss of the season, and is in the midst of a losing streak much like Wisconsin. Considering that both teams are on the ropes right now, Badger fans should expect nothing short of a high-octane slugfest between the two teams.