Revitalized Spartans head into Michigan showdown
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio had a different feeling flying home from Penn State last Saturday night, one he hadn’t had in a while.
The Spartans had just upset then-No. 8 Penn State in a game nearly no one gave them a chance to win, especially coming off the loss at home to Northwestern the week before. The offense was struggling, the injuries were piling up and it seemed confidence was waning.
Instead of letting the season starting nosedive, however, the Spartans headed back home on a high after scoring in the final minute to upset the Nittany Lions for the second straight season, 21-17, this time as Dantonio knocked off a top-10 opponent for the 10th time.
The optimism, just like that, was back.
“I was excited to be with our football team, excited to see they had success (Saturday) and be part of that,” Dantonio said. “It wasn’t over the top or anything like that. I just feel we earned the win and felt content that everything was right in the world. It’s probably the way every coach feels. When you lose and you don’t play well and you’re troubled. That’s probably an understatement.”
When the Spartans arrived back in town, they headed to campus and joined the basketball team and coach Tom Izzo outside for the Izzone campout, an annual event for students that attend men’s basketball games. The revelry was in full gear.
And with what’s coming up next — a meeting with Michigan — No. 24 Michigan State is convinced Saturday’s win was just the start of what’s to come.
“I think no question this will give us a boost as far as moving forward in division,” Dantonio said. “We’re a 4-2 football team right now, which is a lot better than a 3-3 team. We’ll build on those things as we go but I think October is sort of, again, where you develop your identity. It’s halfway through October so we’ll come out knowing a little bit where you’re at after the next couple of games. Then you challenge yourself, you know, what are you gonna do in November.”
If November includes a push for a championship, these couple of weeks will play a big part. The win over Penn State was important not only to get Michigan State back on track, but to keep the Spartans in the mix in the Big Ten East. The Spartans have one conference loss but getting a win over another top division foe could be big for tiebreakers.
With Ohio State and Michigan still to come, it puts the Spartans in a position to capture the division.
Of course, the Michigan matchup is next as the No. 6 Wolverines — who manhandled Wisconsin last week — visit Spartan Stadium for a noon kickoff Saturday.
“We’ve got a big opponent coming in next week,” defensive tackle Raequan Williams said, “and I know everybody will be ready for that game, without a doubt.”
Michigan State’s readiness to take on its rival rarely depends on its win-loss record but having the game mean so much in the Big Ten race ramps things up that much more. So does the fact the Spartans have dominated the series, winning eight of the last 10.
“We’re coming off a tough away game win and that should rally Spartan Nation so it should be a live atmosphere,” Dantonio said. “Any time you win good things usually follow throughout the week. It’s a lot easier coming in here, even as coaches, than it was last week and that’s what you look forward to.”
