https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1813976
DiNardo: MSU travel delay will be a factor
Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher
EAST LANSING - Michigan State players are saying they haven't been affected by Sunday morning's travel difficulties, and head coach Mark Dantonio is thanking those who helped.
But at least one expert and former coach says Michigan State's unexpectedly long stay in New Jersey will loom as a problem throughout the week.
"I think that's something that is going to add up and be a factor," analyst Gerry DiNardo said on Big Ten Live.
The Spartans' charter jet was unable to fly out of New Jersey, following Michigan State's victory at Rutgers, late Saturday night, due to mechanical problems.
Michigan State's game against Rutgers ended around midnight. The Spartans expected to fly out of Trenton, N.J. at about 2:45 a.m. and get back East Lansing around 4 a.m.
Instead, the Spartans learned that the flight would be canceled as they pulled into the airport in Trenton at about 2 a.m. A replacement plane had to be flown up from Florida and would not be ready until the following morning on Sunday.
The Spartans were bussed back to the Embassy Suites hotel in Piscataway, N.J., which had served as the team's hotel on Friday night. The Spartans did not have reservations for Sunday night, but worked with the staff at Embassy Suites to find room.
After checking back into the hotel at 3:40 a.m. following the physical game against Rutgers, players slept three to a room. Some MSU support staff slept five to a room. Team managers and trainers slept in the Embassy Suites ballroom.
The Spartans got a few hours of sleep, were up for breakfast at 9 a.m., bussed back to the airport at 10 a.m., and learned that take-off would be further delayed. They didn't arrive in East Lansing until approximately 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.
"Think about this: They don't get home until Sunday at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon," DiNardo said. "Jim Harbaugh was on the Final Drive with us, already talking about (and preparing for) Michigan State on Saturday night and Michigan State hadn't even kicked off against Rutgers yet. Even if Michigan State had stayed on schedule, they wouldn't have gotten home until late Saturday night. But it got worse than that."
Dantonio began Tuesday's press conference thanking those who helped make Michigan State's extended stay in New Jersey a bit more manageable.
"I want to thank the Embassy Suites Hotel in Piscataway, New Jersey, the New Jersey Highway Patrol and the Rutgers police and also Academy buses, as well, for helping deliver us safely to where we were going that evening," Dantonio said.
"It was crazy," said junior linebacker Riley Bullough. "We didn't know what was going to happen the entire time. We got to the airport, found out we couldn't take off, ended up hanging out there for a while, got back to the hotel pretty late, but then Sunday came, we got on the plane, eventually got out of there, took a while."
Dantonio usually has the players in for a light workout on Sundays, film study and positional meetings. The team usually has Mondays off.
This week, because of the travel problems, the Sunday delays at the hotel and airport counted as MSU's day off. The Spartans conducted their usual Sunday film meetings on Monday this week.
"There was no rest this weekend for us, really," Bullough said, "but we're feeling good now."
DiNardo: MSU travel delay will be a factor
Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher
EAST LANSING - Michigan State players are saying they haven't been affected by Sunday morning's travel difficulties, and head coach Mark Dantonio is thanking those who helped.
But at least one expert and former coach says Michigan State's unexpectedly long stay in New Jersey will loom as a problem throughout the week.
"I think that's something that is going to add up and be a factor," analyst Gerry DiNardo said on Big Ten Live.
The Spartans' charter jet was unable to fly out of New Jersey, following Michigan State's victory at Rutgers, late Saturday night, due to mechanical problems.
Michigan State's game against Rutgers ended around midnight. The Spartans expected to fly out of Trenton, N.J. at about 2:45 a.m. and get back East Lansing around 4 a.m.
Instead, the Spartans learned that the flight would be canceled as they pulled into the airport in Trenton at about 2 a.m. A replacement plane had to be flown up from Florida and would not be ready until the following morning on Sunday.
The Spartans were bussed back to the Embassy Suites hotel in Piscataway, N.J., which had served as the team's hotel on Friday night. The Spartans did not have reservations for Sunday night, but worked with the staff at Embassy Suites to find room.
After checking back into the hotel at 3:40 a.m. following the physical game against Rutgers, players slept three to a room. Some MSU support staff slept five to a room. Team managers and trainers slept in the Embassy Suites ballroom.
The Spartans got a few hours of sleep, were up for breakfast at 9 a.m., bussed back to the airport at 10 a.m., and learned that take-off would be further delayed. They didn't arrive in East Lansing until approximately 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.
"Think about this: They don't get home until Sunday at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon," DiNardo said. "Jim Harbaugh was on the Final Drive with us, already talking about (and preparing for) Michigan State on Saturday night and Michigan State hadn't even kicked off against Rutgers yet. Even if Michigan State had stayed on schedule, they wouldn't have gotten home until late Saturday night. But it got worse than that."
Dantonio began Tuesday's press conference thanking those who helped make Michigan State's extended stay in New Jersey a bit more manageable.
"I want to thank the Embassy Suites Hotel in Piscataway, New Jersey, the New Jersey Highway Patrol and the Rutgers police and also Academy buses, as well, for helping deliver us safely to where we were going that evening," Dantonio said.
"It was crazy," said junior linebacker Riley Bullough. "We didn't know what was going to happen the entire time. We got to the airport, found out we couldn't take off, ended up hanging out there for a while, got back to the hotel pretty late, but then Sunday came, we got on the plane, eventually got out of there, took a while."
Dantonio usually has the players in for a light workout on Sundays, film study and positional meetings. The team usually has Mondays off.
This week, because of the travel problems, the Sunday delays at the hotel and airport counted as MSU's day off. The Spartans conducted their usual Sunday film meetings on Monday this week.
"There was no rest this weekend for us, really," Bullough said, "but we're feeling good now."
