11/12/2019 football Edit

Notebook: Mark Dantonio Previews U-M, Talks Harbaugh

Clayton Sayfie • Maize&BlueReview

Staff Writer

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Michigan State Spartans (4-5 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) head coach Mark Dantonio spoke to the media Tuesday ahead of his team's road trip to Ann Arbor this Saturday to take on the Michigan Wolverines (7-2, 4-2).

The Spartans have lost four straight games and haven't come out victorious since the Sept. 28 game with Indiana. Last week, MSU squandered a 28-3 lead over Illinois, falling 37-34 at Spartan Stadium.

U-M has won its last two games, both coming in blowout fashion. The Wolverines disposed of then-top-10 Notre Dame (45-14) and also Maryland (38-7).

Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio is looking to save the Spartans' season and his job with a win over Michigan. (USA Today Sports Images)

Dantonio On Michigan And The Rivalry

Coming off of the Illinois debacle, Dantonio insists his team is solely focused on U-M.

"It’s Michigan week this week, so we have to put that behind us and move forward," Dantonio said. "We’ve played well down there in the past. They have an outstanding program. When you look at them right now, you look at their defense. I see, probably, a top-15 defense. They do a great job of being disruptive and moving people back. We’ve got to be able to pass protect.

"As far as running the football, same type of thing, we’re going to have to be able to run it some. You can’t turn the football over in a rivalry game. I think that’s been the thing that we’ve got to be able to deal with more effectively.

"On the offensive side of the ball, they’ve got four offensive linemen back. I think they’re young at the running back position, experienced at the wide receiver position and quarterback position. They make some plays, create some loose plays with the quarterback. They play well on special teams. [They are a] well-coached football team.

"We have to compete daily. We have to move forward here. Rivalry game — I think it’s good for college football and good for this state. I’ve said it many, many times over the course of my time here that we have to measure up in this football game. You’re either green or you’re blue in this state, for the most part. This crosses families and everything else involved with it."

MSU's four-game slide isn't necessarily indicative of what will happen in a rivalry game like this. Dantonio recalled the 2009 matchup between the Spartans and the Wolverines, when U-M came into the game at an undefeated 4-0, while the Spartans touted a 1-3 record.

"You sort of throw the records out a little bit, pretty much like Coach Harbaugh said yesterday," Dantonio said. "I think that there’s been times where they’ve been 4-0 and we’ve been 1-3 yet we’ve been able to find a way to win. Those type of things have happened in the past.

"Right now, for me, my main consideration is our football team and getting them down to the football game ready. … We’ll compete. We’ll play hard. We just can’t make mistakes and beat ourselves. If you look at our season right now, what’s transpired and what’s happened is we’ve beaten ourselves in some respects. We’re playing a good football team, in this case, and you can’t turn It over. In the first five games, we had a very productive turnover ratio. In the last four, it’s probably been in the negative situation."

Dantonio noted how important the game against U-M is each season for the identity of his program.

"The Michigan game has always been a game that we’ve pointed toward ever since I’ve come here," Dantonio explained. "I’ve said many, many times I didn’t create that environment, I’m just trying to empower it and stay with it. I knew that if we were going to be successful here, we were going to have to win down the road some and here at home, and we were going to have to measure up every time we played that football game. That’s what we put into effect that we were going to measure up in this football game.

"I’ve been here 13 years, and we need to do that again. It’s a constant thing because you’re going to compete against them in everything that we do, whether it’s recruits in the state, or on the field, or on the basketball court, on the hockey rink. That’s just the way it’s built here. You’re going to compete with them in everything across the board. That’s the way I’ve tried to approach it."

MSU and Dantonio have been on the receiving end of much criticism this season and in recent years. The Spartans have a 15-18 record in the Big Ten since 2016 and a 24-23 record overall in that span. Dantonio was asked if there's any added pressure to this year's game, given the recent struggles and current criticism he is receiving.

"No, I don’t feel any added pressure," he insisted. "I feel that there’s always pressure in this game because you’re always trying to measure up. … This is a big game. It’s always been a national TV game, pretty much. It’s always been a game that’s always had everybody looking at it."

Before last season's game between the two teams, the Spartans locked arms during pregame warm-ups and walked down the field, clotheslining a few U-M players that were on their side of the field warming up. U-M linebacker Devin Bush, in retaliation, tore up some of the grass on the Spartans' mid-field logo with his cleats. Dantonio was seen smirking as he walked behind the MSU players during the fiasco.

U-M went on to win the game 21-7 and held MSU to just 94 total yards in the game. Dantonio was asked if there would be any carryover from that incident to this year's game.

"That’s in the past, in my mind," he said. "Those things have taken place. If you don’t like confrontation, this probably isn’t a good game to go to. That’s just the way it is. It’s just natural.

"You’ve got guys that have played against each other in high school, you’ve got guys that have played already in this football game. It’s just a competitive environment. The biggest thing that we need to do is have total focus on what we need to do at the right time and not make mistakes and play hard. That’s what we’ll focus on.

"[When] we’ve gone down there in the past, there’s been great sportsmanship. I look towards that. I don’t look away from that, I look towards that."

Dantonio has taken jabs publicly toward U-M in years past, dating all the way back to mocking U-M senior running back Mike Hart's height in 2007. Tuesday, he was asked if he has instructed his players on what to say to reporters this week ahead of the game.

"I really haven’t," he said. "I’ve chosen to just try to be respectful towards the rivalry. I sort of take the high road. I think our players have tried to do that as well."

Dantonio On Michigan Wolverines Head Coach Jim Harbaugh

During Jim Harbaugh's Monday press conference, he complimented Dantonio, calling him a "master motivator."

Dantonio had positive things to say about Harbaugh when asked Tuesday.

"I think he’s done, obviously, a great job," Dantonio said. "I think he’s won 10 games numerous times. We’re 2-2 against them right now. Our games have been close, relatively close. The one in 2016 wasn’t as close. The rest of them were pretty close. Last year was close until they hit that 80-yarder.

"He’s done a great job; he’s recruited extremely well. Michigan has always had great players. I think they’re doing a great job defensively and offensively. He’s a good football coach. The guy is a Hall of Fame football coach, whether it’s in the NFL or whether it’s in college. You can expect them to play well."

Dantonio was asked to describe Harbaugh in two words — but could only come up with one.

"Intense," Dantonio noted. "I think he does a great job. I think he’s truly committed to every single play on the football field. He’s going to think outside the box — you see him do different things offensively; you’ve seen that in the past. They do different things in the past that create adjustments for you, and then you’re going to have to adjust to it within that football game.

"He’s extremely competitive and intense, but I think most coaches are."

Dantonio On Injuries vs. Illinois

Junior tight end Matt Dotson suffered an injury in the game against Illinois and did not return. Dantonio gave an update and said that Dotson tore his achilles, ending his season.

Junior cornerback Josiah Scott also left the Illinois game with an undisclosed injury.

"As far as Josiah, we expect him to play," Dantonio said.