Was coming based on some sort of communication he saw an MSU player have who came on the field with a player who was already on the field. However, being a young player, and with his upbringing of being respectful to elders, he was too shy/hesitant to say anything to the upperclassmen.
MSU sent two players to his side, including the one who caught the ball. The first MSu player seemed to knock Smith down, helping free up the other guy.