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Dantonio: 'Yeah, we can win'
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Mark Dantonio has met the Michigan challenge head-on during his 10 years at Michigan State.
He has to feel good about the chapters his teams have carved into the annals of this rivalry. His 10th meeting with the Michigan, coming up at noon on Saturday, figures to be the toughest challenge the Wolverines have mounted against him. Once again, Dantonio is respecting the task, but not discounting his team’s chances of surprising the No. 2-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.
“Ever since I've come here, I've never shied away from this football game,” said Dantonio, whose team has sunk to a 2-5 record and is in the midst of the longest losing streak the program has had since 1991. “I've never said this is not an important game. I've never said, ‘Hey, we'll get to it when we get to it.’ I've always maintained our focus needs to be on that game a little bit more than usual, and that's never going to change.”
Dantonio is 7-2 against the Wolverines, with wins in seven of the last eight. His team lost via a last-second field goal in 2012. In his first game against Michigan as head coach, his Spartans let a 24-14 lead get away in the final seven minutes.
In other games, the Spartans defeated Michigan en route to Big Ten championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and a Big Ten divisional title in 2011.
He's quite close to being 9-0 against the Wolverines. His teams often play their best game of the year, to that point in the season, when they take the field against Michigan.
“The reality of it is when we've won, you feel good about it, great about it,” Dantonio said. “When you've lost, I don't care if you lose by two points, you don't feel as good. When you've been up by 10 with seven minutes to go and you lose, you don't feel very good. That's just the nature of it, and you put a lot of preparation into it, just like you do into every football game. This one maybe just is a little bit more because it's in state and it's a rivalry game and because it means so much more maybe to not just our fans but maybe to the players who have played in it in the past and the overall general feeling that we have for each other, that sense of love.”
Dantonio drew laughter from media with that last comment about love. That’s a word that isn’t usually used in describing this hateful rivalry.
Dantonio has said in the past that he bears a “black mark on his soul” for Michigan, dating back to his days as an assistant at MSU from 1995 to 2000, and as defensive coordinator at Ohio State. But Dantonio seemed to express some genuine respect for the way Michigan has built its current juggernaut.
The Wolverines are 7-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind only No. 1 Alabama, the defending national champion.
Alabama pounded Michigan State 38-0 in the College Football Playoff semifinal last year in Dallas.
Alabama is regarded as the gold standard of college football, especially on defense. But Michigan’s defense ranks ahead of the Crimson Tide’s at this point in the season.
Of course, Alabama and Michigan haven’t played the same opponents, but the Wolverines rank ahead of the Tide in scoring defense and total defense. In fact, Michigan ranks ahead of everyone in those categories, at No. 1.
Alabama ranks No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense and No. 4 in total defense, with a pair of showdown victories over Top 10 opponents Tennessee and Texas A&M.
When asked to compare Michigan’s defense to Alabama’s, Dantonio said:
“I don't think that they're like Alabama, structurally. Their success level is like Alabama's right now, so you have to look to see what you can do, and operate within your system because you can't change a whole system and say, ‘Hey, we're going to call all these new plays.’ That doesn't exist.
“You have to use what you have and look to take advantage of some of the things that they do, and then your players have to beat their players, whether it's in coverage or whether it's running the football or yards after contact or whatever the case.”
Alabama ranks No. 1 in the nation in rush defense. Michigan ranks No. 4 in that category.
“They (Michigan) have been tough to run the ball on, and they were rough to run the ball on last year,” Dantonio said.
Last year, the Spartans were unbeaten and ranked No. 7 in the country when they defeated Michigan, 27-23. But Michigan went into that game as a 7-point underdog, having looked unimpressive in their string of victories.
MSU rose up and registered its best defensive game of the year, to that point, in beating Michigan. The Spartans out-gained Michigan 328-168 and held the Wolverines to 10 first downs.
Neither team had success running the ball last year. Michigan netted 62 yards rushing and Michigan State netted 58.
The Spartans were without All-America center Jack Allen for that game, and first-round draft choice Jack Conklin was just coming back from an injury.
This year, the Spartan offensive line and ground game have been wildly inconsistent, but Michigan State is coming off one of its best performances of the year in that area. One week after attempting only 11 tailback runs against Northwestern while playing behind the softest-looking Spartan o-line of the Dantonio era, Michigan State’s blockers came back strong to pave the way for 270 yards rushing against the Terrapins.
Left tackle Kodi Kieler turned in an excellent game against the Terps on zones and gap plays run to his side of the line. Right guard Brian Allen also turned in one of his better games as a pull guard, finding his targets with quickness and finishing with power.
Redshirt freshman left guard Tyler Higby was effective in double-team blocks, and true freshman right tackle Thiyo Lukusa came off the bench for the second straight week to provide solid work at right tackle.
Kodi Kieler played his best game of the season at left tackle last week.
The Spartans need to build off of last week’s progress in preparing to face one of college football’s best defensive lines, which is backed up by quick, attacking linebackers and a myriad of pressures and blitzes.
They will be playing against a determined Michigan program that is 2-14 in rivalry games over the last eight years, with head coach Jim Harbaugh 0-2 against Michigan State or Ohio State.
Turning back the Wolverines will begin with some age-old fundamentals.
“We need to be able to run the football with some effectiveness,” Dantonio said. “They've been difficult to score against -- they've got a good defense. They've got a good football team. The challenge is there, there's no question about that.”
In the past, Dantonio has challenged his players to keep their emotions and rage for this game under control all week, until game time. He has advised his players to “keep the lion in the cage,” and then let it out when they get to the field.
Dantonio was asked on Tuesday if the Spartans have that type of caged rage that is capable of taking the team to a higher level of play in this game, but without the penalties that went a long way to costing the Spartans victories at Indiana and Maryland.
“That's something everybody has got to answer for themselves,” Dantonio said. “We speak about those things, just sort of give it a symbol for it.
“But the bottom line is how we play at game time and then how we play on the first play and then how we're playing on the last play, and it's tough. It's not easy. This is a man's game. Playing inside, your defensive tackles, your offensive tackles, your linebackers, it's a physical game. So you've got to be able to maintain that physicality in this type of football game especially because that's who they are, that's who we've tried to be, and so when two people meet like that, it becomes a very physical football game.
“I think it was a very physical football game last year.”
What about this year?
“We have an opportunity to be successful or to play our very best, and that's all we can ask,” Dantonio said. “I don't think our seniors have lost yet (to Michigan), the guys that are four-year seniors. They've won three straight, so I'm sure in the back of their mind, that's something that they look forward to to try and accomplish. But again, sitting and talking about it, it's sort of meaningless; you've got to do it, and this is the challenge.
“Can we win? Yeah, we can win. I firmly believe that. I know none of you do, but that's why I'm coaching.”
Dantonio: 'Yeah, we can win'
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Mark Dantonio has met the Michigan challenge head-on during his 10 years at Michigan State.
He has to feel good about the chapters his teams have carved into the annals of this rivalry. His 10th meeting with the Michigan, coming up at noon on Saturday, figures to be the toughest challenge the Wolverines have mounted against him. Once again, Dantonio is respecting the task, but not discounting his team’s chances of surprising the No. 2-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.
“Ever since I've come here, I've never shied away from this football game,” said Dantonio, whose team has sunk to a 2-5 record and is in the midst of the longest losing streak the program has had since 1991. “I've never said this is not an important game. I've never said, ‘Hey, we'll get to it when we get to it.’ I've always maintained our focus needs to be on that game a little bit more than usual, and that's never going to change.”
Dantonio is 7-2 against the Wolverines, with wins in seven of the last eight. His team lost via a last-second field goal in 2012. In his first game against Michigan as head coach, his Spartans let a 24-14 lead get away in the final seven minutes.
In other games, the Spartans defeated Michigan en route to Big Ten championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and a Big Ten divisional title in 2011.
He's quite close to being 9-0 against the Wolverines. His teams often play their best game of the year, to that point in the season, when they take the field against Michigan.
“The reality of it is when we've won, you feel good about it, great about it,” Dantonio said. “When you've lost, I don't care if you lose by two points, you don't feel as good. When you've been up by 10 with seven minutes to go and you lose, you don't feel very good. That's just the nature of it, and you put a lot of preparation into it, just like you do into every football game. This one maybe just is a little bit more because it's in state and it's a rivalry game and because it means so much more maybe to not just our fans but maybe to the players who have played in it in the past and the overall general feeling that we have for each other, that sense of love.”
Dantonio drew laughter from media with that last comment about love. That’s a word that isn’t usually used in describing this hateful rivalry.
Dantonio has said in the past that he bears a “black mark on his soul” for Michigan, dating back to his days as an assistant at MSU from 1995 to 2000, and as defensive coordinator at Ohio State. But Dantonio seemed to express some genuine respect for the way Michigan has built its current juggernaut.
The Wolverines are 7-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind only No. 1 Alabama, the defending national champion.
Alabama pounded Michigan State 38-0 in the College Football Playoff semifinal last year in Dallas.
Alabama is regarded as the gold standard of college football, especially on defense. But Michigan’s defense ranks ahead of the Crimson Tide’s at this point in the season.
Of course, Alabama and Michigan haven’t played the same opponents, but the Wolverines rank ahead of the Tide in scoring defense and total defense. In fact, Michigan ranks ahead of everyone in those categories, at No. 1.
Alabama ranks No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense and No. 4 in total defense, with a pair of showdown victories over Top 10 opponents Tennessee and Texas A&M.
When asked to compare Michigan’s defense to Alabama’s, Dantonio said:
“I don't think that they're like Alabama, structurally. Their success level is like Alabama's right now, so you have to look to see what you can do, and operate within your system because you can't change a whole system and say, ‘Hey, we're going to call all these new plays.’ That doesn't exist.
“You have to use what you have and look to take advantage of some of the things that they do, and then your players have to beat their players, whether it's in coverage or whether it's running the football or yards after contact or whatever the case.”
Alabama ranks No. 1 in the nation in rush defense. Michigan ranks No. 4 in that category.
“They (Michigan) have been tough to run the ball on, and they were rough to run the ball on last year,” Dantonio said.
Last year, the Spartans were unbeaten and ranked No. 7 in the country when they defeated Michigan, 27-23. But Michigan went into that game as a 7-point underdog, having looked unimpressive in their string of victories.
MSU rose up and registered its best defensive game of the year, to that point, in beating Michigan. The Spartans out-gained Michigan 328-168 and held the Wolverines to 10 first downs.
Neither team had success running the ball last year. Michigan netted 62 yards rushing and Michigan State netted 58.
The Spartans were without All-America center Jack Allen for that game, and first-round draft choice Jack Conklin was just coming back from an injury.
This year, the Spartan offensive line and ground game have been wildly inconsistent, but Michigan State is coming off one of its best performances of the year in that area. One week after attempting only 11 tailback runs against Northwestern while playing behind the softest-looking Spartan o-line of the Dantonio era, Michigan State’s blockers came back strong to pave the way for 270 yards rushing against the Terrapins.
Left tackle Kodi Kieler turned in an excellent game against the Terps on zones and gap plays run to his side of the line. Right guard Brian Allen also turned in one of his better games as a pull guard, finding his targets with quickness and finishing with power.
Redshirt freshman left guard Tyler Higby was effective in double-team blocks, and true freshman right tackle Thiyo Lukusa came off the bench for the second straight week to provide solid work at right tackle.
Kodi Kieler played his best game of the season at left tackle last week.
The Spartans need to build off of last week’s progress in preparing to face one of college football’s best defensive lines, which is backed up by quick, attacking linebackers and a myriad of pressures and blitzes.
They will be playing against a determined Michigan program that is 2-14 in rivalry games over the last eight years, with head coach Jim Harbaugh 0-2 against Michigan State or Ohio State.
Turning back the Wolverines will begin with some age-old fundamentals.
“We need to be able to run the football with some effectiveness,” Dantonio said. “They've been difficult to score against -- they've got a good defense. They've got a good football team. The challenge is there, there's no question about that.”
In the past, Dantonio has challenged his players to keep their emotions and rage for this game under control all week, until game time. He has advised his players to “keep the lion in the cage,” and then let it out when they get to the field.
Dantonio was asked on Tuesday if the Spartans have that type of caged rage that is capable of taking the team to a higher level of play in this game, but without the penalties that went a long way to costing the Spartans victories at Indiana and Maryland.
“That's something everybody has got to answer for themselves,” Dantonio said. “We speak about those things, just sort of give it a symbol for it.
“But the bottom line is how we play at game time and then how we play on the first play and then how we're playing on the last play, and it's tough. It's not easy. This is a man's game. Playing inside, your defensive tackles, your offensive tackles, your linebackers, it's a physical game. So you've got to be able to maintain that physicality in this type of football game especially because that's who they are, that's who we've tried to be, and so when two people meet like that, it becomes a very physical football game.
“I think it was a very physical football game last year.”
What about this year?
“We have an opportunity to be successful or to play our very best, and that's all we can ask,” Dantonio said. “I don't think our seniors have lost yet (to Michigan), the guys that are four-year seniors. They've won three straight, so I'm sure in the back of their mind, that's something that they look forward to to try and accomplish. But again, sitting and talking about it, it's sort of meaningless; you've got to do it, and this is the challenge.
“Can we win? Yeah, we can win. I firmly believe that. I know none of you do, but that's why I'm coaching.”
