utsy and gritty
Dantonio’s gambles pay off; Wolverines’ victory reflects Harbaugh’s style
Teddy Greenstein On college football
EAST LANSING and ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mark Dantonio treats fourth downs as opportunities, not admissions of defeat. Hours after college football fans witnessed a clear coaching blunder in Ann Arbor — don’t worry, Michigan fans, Jim Harbaugh was not the guilty party — the coach who resides up Interstate 96 showed a mastery of risk/reward. Twice on fourth down, Dantonio had his Spartans go for glory. Twice they made it, and both times the drive’s reward was a touchdown. If Dantonio had played it safe on fourth-and-1 at the Oregon 21 in the second quarter and fourth-and-6 from the Ducks 34 in the third, his team would not have taken down No. 7 Oregon 31-28. And fifth-ranked Michigan State would not have established itself as a threat both to topple Ohio State in the Big Ten East and to make the four-team College Football Playoff. “Coach D likes to roll the dice,” quarterback Connor Cook said. “We’re thankful. (He) likes to put the ball in his playmakers’ hands. It’s great he has confidence in us to do that.” Center Jack Allen said the fourth-and-1 decision was “an obvious call ... We weren’t going to not get it.” It was quite a contrast to what took place 65 miles away, where Oregon State coach Gary Andersen tried to punt his way to victory as a two-touchdown underdog in the Big House. With 1:29 left in the first half, Andersen’s Beavers faced fourth-and-3 from the Michigan 39. Why not go for it? Michigan’s offense had produced just 130 yards, so a failed attempt was a minor risk. “I thought it was a logical decision,” Andersen said. “I never thought of not punting, frankly.” Nick Porebski’s punt was perfect, frankly, rolling out at the 3. But an illegal formation negated it, and then long snapper Ryan Navarro air-mailed one that was covered on the Oregon State 3. It was the equivalent of a 94-yard penalty, all thanks to Andersen’s faulty logic. “A fortuitous play for us,” Harbaugh said. It flipped the game. All but handed a free touchdown for a 17-7 halftime lead, Michigan trounced its downtrodden opponent in the second half, yielding just 4 yards of offense on 16 plays for a 35-7 victory. Harbaugh is eager to establish a winning culture in his first season. Fed up with his team’s sluggish start Saturday, he went ballistic after a legitimate roughing-the-punter penalty. He screamed, mimicked a kicking motion and stalked an official, allowing his play sheets to scatter to the ground. “That cracked me up,” safety Delano Hill said.
Dantonio’s gambles pay off; Wolverines’ victory reflects Harbaugh’s style
Teddy Greenstein On college football
EAST LANSING and ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mark Dantonio treats fourth downs as opportunities, not admissions of defeat. Hours after college football fans witnessed a clear coaching blunder in Ann Arbor — don’t worry, Michigan fans, Jim Harbaugh was not the guilty party — the coach who resides up Interstate 96 showed a mastery of risk/reward. Twice on fourth down, Dantonio had his Spartans go for glory. Twice they made it, and both times the drive’s reward was a touchdown. If Dantonio had played it safe on fourth-and-1 at the Oregon 21 in the second quarter and fourth-and-6 from the Ducks 34 in the third, his team would not have taken down No. 7 Oregon 31-28. And fifth-ranked Michigan State would not have established itself as a threat both to topple Ohio State in the Big Ten East and to make the four-team College Football Playoff. “Coach D likes to roll the dice,” quarterback Connor Cook said. “We’re thankful. (He) likes to put the ball in his playmakers’ hands. It’s great he has confidence in us to do that.” Center Jack Allen said the fourth-and-1 decision was “an obvious call ... We weren’t going to not get it.” It was quite a contrast to what took place 65 miles away, where Oregon State coach Gary Andersen tried to punt his way to victory as a two-touchdown underdog in the Big House. With 1:29 left in the first half, Andersen’s Beavers faced fourth-and-3 from the Michigan 39. Why not go for it? Michigan’s offense had produced just 130 yards, so a failed attempt was a minor risk. “I thought it was a logical decision,” Andersen said. “I never thought of not punting, frankly.” Nick Porebski’s punt was perfect, frankly, rolling out at the 3. But an illegal formation negated it, and then long snapper Ryan Navarro air-mailed one that was covered on the Oregon State 3. It was the equivalent of a 94-yard penalty, all thanks to Andersen’s faulty logic. “A fortuitous play for us,” Harbaugh said. It flipped the game. All but handed a free touchdown for a 17-7 halftime lead, Michigan trounced its downtrodden opponent in the second half, yielding just 4 yards of offense on 16 plays for a 35-7 victory. Harbaugh is eager to establish a winning culture in his first season. Fed up with his team’s sluggish start Saturday, he went ballistic after a legitimate roughing-the-punter penalty. He screamed, mimicked a kicking motion and stalked an official, allowing his play sheets to scatter to the ground. “That cracked me up,” safety Delano Hill said.
