YOU'RE NEXT, BUCKY!
Jamie Samuelsen, co-host of the "Jamie and Stoney Show" weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on WXYT-FM (97.1), blogs for freep.com.
Are we even surprised anymore when the Spartans win a road game against a ranked team that they were underdogs against?
Michigan State has won multiple Big Ten titles, multiple bowl games, multiple big games, multiple rivalry games. They arrived years ago as a national power and despite predictions or beliefs that its demise was forthcoming, it has maintained its status as one of the best teams in the Big Ten and in the nation.
Given that backdrop, beating Notre Dame on the road at night hardly qualifies as a landmark victory. The Spartans were ranked higher than the Irish and dispatched of them rather easily despite a conservative fourth quarter that allowed ND to climb back into the game. MSU fans shouldn’t be surprised by Saturday and most probably aren’t. National pundits shouldn’t be surprised by MSU, yet most possibly are. That’s the reason why I believe MSU made a significant statement on Saturday night, one that should never be forgotten as long as Mark Dantonio is the head coach.
The Spartans lost Jack Allen, Jack Conklin, Connor Cook and Aaron Burbridge off of last year’s offense. They also lost Shilique Calhoun off the defense. All-America performers, All-Big Ten award winners. Those are program building players whose departure often reflects a changing of the guard as the coaching staff looks to reload, rebuild and recruit like crazy. Some Big Ten programs, like Iowa and Wisconsin, move up or down based on how full the cupboard is in any given year. The best program, Ohio State, always maintains the top spot because the next great player is always waiting in the wings. We knew that Michigan State had that potential under Dantonio. Saturday night validated that.
MSU has an identity under Dantonio. They play defense. They play physical football. And they run the ball right down your throat. That’s exactly what they did on Saturday night along with some savvy quarterbacking from fifth-year senior Tyler O’Connor. Sprinkle in a pretty nice coming out party from true freshman Donnie Corley, and the win had all the trimmings of a statement to the nation that even without the big names from last year, MSU still retained their biggest name of all -- Dantonio.
If this sounds familiar, it should. Tom Izzo created the same atmosphere across the street at the Breslin Center. Izzo first rose to national prominence with the Flintstones, the core of which went to three straight Final Fours and won the national championship in 2000. In the proceeding years, some wondered whether or not Izzo’s success was the product of one special group of players or whether he had built a sustainable program that would contend as different players rolled through the program. Sixteen years, later we have our answer.
Dantonio hasn’t had the longevity yet that Izzo has. He doesn’t have the national championship. And as of this moment, he’s not a Hall of Famer (although that certainly remains a possibility moving forward). If we agree that Nick Saban and Meyer are the two best coaches in college football, which seems a rather fair concession, is it that much of a stretch to say that Dantonio is third? Even if you think that someone is better, you have to concede that he’s part of the discussion.
The best coaches win even when they’re not supposed to. They find talent even when experts say their recruiting classes don’t stack up. Dantonio has done all of that in his decade at Michigan State and there’s no reason to think he won’t keep doing it. Perhaps Notre Dame isn’t a top 15 team (although I hate the fact that any win in college football is always marginalized by the suggestion that the vanquished team is somehow lesser than we thought. “That’s hardly a vintage Florida State team!") It doesn’t matter. Michigan State lost core players from a Big Ten title team, got downgraded in the preseason polls, got left out of Big Ten title talk ... and emerged the same team that they’ve always been.
The Spartans host Michigan and Ohio State. They’re the only conference team to beat Meyer since he got to Columbus. The Big Ten East is stacked so it’s silly to suggest that MSU is automatic to repeat. As the Spartans dismantled the Irish through three quarters on the road, Ohio State did the same to Oklahoma on the road through four, although I’m sure people will say this isn’t a very good Oklahoma team.
Saturday reminded us that MSU is a contender. More than that, it reminded us that the Spartans are never to be underestimated as long as Dantonio is there. Players come and go. The coaching staff has stayed. As long as they stay, the style stays and the winning stays. You don’t have to love Michigan State to respect them. At the very least, you have to assume that they’re going to rebuild, reload and be back no matter who leaves. That’s what the best coaches in America do. That’s what Dantonio does.
Are we even surprised anymore when the Spartans win a road game against a ranked team that they were underdogs against?
Michigan State has won multiple Big Ten titles, multiple bowl games, multiple big games, multiple rivalry games. They arrived years ago as a national power and despite predictions or beliefs that its demise was forthcoming, it has maintained its status as one of the best teams in the Big Ten and in the nation.
Given that backdrop, beating Notre Dame on the road at night hardly qualifies as a landmark victory. The Spartans were ranked higher than the Irish and dispatched of them rather easily despite a conservative fourth quarter that allowed ND to climb back into the game. MSU fans shouldn’t be surprised by Saturday and most probably aren’t. National pundits shouldn’t be surprised by MSU, yet most possibly are. That’s the reason why I believe MSU made a significant statement on Saturday night, one that should never be forgotten as long as Mark Dantonio is the head coach.
The Spartans lost Jack Allen, Jack Conklin, Connor Cook and Aaron Burbridge off of last year’s offense. They also lost Shilique Calhoun off the defense. All-America performers, All-Big Ten award winners. Those are program building players whose departure often reflects a changing of the guard as the coaching staff looks to reload, rebuild and recruit like crazy. Some Big Ten programs, like Iowa and Wisconsin, move up or down based on how full the cupboard is in any given year. The best program, Ohio State, always maintains the top spot because the next great player is always waiting in the wings. We knew that Michigan State had that potential under Dantonio. Saturday night validated that.
MSU has an identity under Dantonio. They play defense. They play physical football. And they run the ball right down your throat. That’s exactly what they did on Saturday night along with some savvy quarterbacking from fifth-year senior Tyler O’Connor. Sprinkle in a pretty nice coming out party from true freshman Donnie Corley, and the win had all the trimmings of a statement to the nation that even without the big names from last year, MSU still retained their biggest name of all -- Dantonio.
If this sounds familiar, it should. Tom Izzo created the same atmosphere across the street at the Breslin Center. Izzo first rose to national prominence with the Flintstones, the core of which went to three straight Final Fours and won the national championship in 2000. In the proceeding years, some wondered whether or not Izzo’s success was the product of one special group of players or whether he had built a sustainable program that would contend as different players rolled through the program. Sixteen years, later we have our answer.
Dantonio hasn’t had the longevity yet that Izzo has. He doesn’t have the national championship. And as of this moment, he’s not a Hall of Famer (although that certainly remains a possibility moving forward). If we agree that Nick Saban and Meyer are the two best coaches in college football, which seems a rather fair concession, is it that much of a stretch to say that Dantonio is third? Even if you think that someone is better, you have to concede that he’s part of the discussion.
The best coaches win even when they’re not supposed to. They find talent even when experts say their recruiting classes don’t stack up. Dantonio has done all of that in his decade at Michigan State and there’s no reason to think he won’t keep doing it. Perhaps Notre Dame isn’t a top 15 team (although I hate the fact that any win in college football is always marginalized by the suggestion that the vanquished team is somehow lesser than we thought. “That’s hardly a vintage Florida State team!") It doesn’t matter. Michigan State lost core players from a Big Ten title team, got downgraded in the preseason polls, got left out of Big Ten title talk ... and emerged the same team that they’ve always been.
The Spartans host Michigan and Ohio State. They’re the only conference team to beat Meyer since he got to Columbus. The Big Ten East is stacked so it’s silly to suggest that MSU is automatic to repeat. As the Spartans dismantled the Irish through three quarters on the road, Ohio State did the same to Oklahoma on the road through four, although I’m sure people will say this isn’t a very good Oklahoma team.
Saturday reminded us that MSU is a contender. More than that, it reminded us that the Spartans are never to be underestimated as long as Dantonio is there. Players come and go. The coaching staff has stayed. As long as they stay, the style stays and the winning stays. You don’t have to love Michigan State to respect them. At the very least, you have to assume that they’re going to rebuild, reload and be back no matter who leaves. That’s what the best coaches in America do. That’s what Dantonio does.
No comments:
Post a Comment