INSIDER: What is Pat Fitzgerald talking about when he refers to the current praise for his program as ‘rat poison’?

Michigan State fans were disappointed by Saturday night’s loss at Notre Dame. They were also glad Pat Fitzgerald looked downright angry about it.

They saw a head coach who had no interest in accepting the consolation typically offered after a rebuilding team competes respectably against a top-five opponent on the road. Fitzgerald was not pleased that Michigan State kept the game within reach into the fourth quarter. He did not frame the 27-10 loss as evidence that the Spartans were ahead of schedule.

He was pissed - his word - that they lost, and the fan base appreciated seeing it.

Clips from Fitzgerald’s postgame press conference circulated on social media, where supporters embraced a coach who treated a competitive loss as a failure rather than a symbolic step forward. His reaction provided another indication that Michigan State’s expectations are beginning to rise.

Fitzgerald appreciates that support. What he does not want, though, is for the response to expand into praise Michigan State has not earned.

“Listen, we’re taking the standard up and getting it to where it needs to be. And that’s my job to get it there,” Fitzgerald said. “I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you a little of that is rat poison – ‘Hey, good job, you played hard.’ That drives me crazy ... We need to earn that support. And not winning games is not earning it.”

That tension offered the clearest look yet at what Fitzgerald is trying to establish at Michigan State. Fans were encouraged because he refused to celebrate the result. Fitzgerald, in turn, refused to celebrate being praised for refusing to celebrate the result.

You might need to re-read that last sentence. But the point is clear - we'll celebrate the result when there is a result worth celebrating. And that result, in Fitzgerald’s opinion, is winning. Period.

The rat poison metaphor, popularized in college football by former Alabama coach Nick Saban, describes praise that initially tastes good but ultimately becomes toxic. Compliments, favorable coverage, and outside approval can quietly create complacency, distract a team from its daily work, and convince players that they have accomplished something before they actually have.

That was Fitzgerald’s concern two days after MSU's road loss to Notre Dame.

The rat poison he was referencing was not the fans’ appreciation for a coach who hated losing. It was the unearned praise that could accompany a competitive performance – the suggestion that playing hard, staying close, and looking better were themselves worthy of congratulations.

They were not.

Michigan State had gone to Notre Dame to win. Anything that made the loss feel more acceptable threatened to weaken the very standard Fitzgerald was trying to raise.

Effort was present. Execution was not.

Michigan State played hard at Notre Dame. It remained within striking distance of one of the country’s best teams and entered the fourth quarter with the ball and an opportunity to make it a one-score game.

Then the Spartans failed to sustain the drive, failed to score, and never created another realistic path back into the game.

For Fitzgerald, his team's effort is the floor. It is a choice and a basic requirement of participating in his program, not an achievement worthy of special recognition.

The Spartans did not lose because they lacked confidence. They expected to win, were not intimidated by Notre Dame or its environment, and created enough opportunities to give themselves a chance.

They lost because Notre Dame executed the decisive plays and Michigan State did not.

Fitzgerald’s frustration did not disappear during the ride home or soften after he reviewed the film. His wife, Stacey, knew him well enough to ask whether he had punched a wall after the game...

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