Sports: Mark Dantonio Leads MSU to its First Bowl in Four Years

            MSU football showed dramatic progress this season, regaining toughness and competitive fire enroute to a postseason bowl invite. 

            The rebuilding of MSU’s football program by Mark Dantonio unfolded this season with significant success, marked by a surprising 7-5 record and MSU’s first bowl appearance in four years.

            This year’s Spartans struck a number of blows that make the “same old Spartans” media cliché sound hollow:

• Unlike recent teams, this one had no “quit.”  No MSU loss was by more than a touchdown; two were in overtime, and two others were by four points or fewer.  Last year’s Spartans, by contrast, suffered four “blow out” losses by multiple touchdowns.
• MSU became the only team in the nation to boast a 2,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and a 1,000-yard receiver—showcasing to recruits the offensive “balance” Dantonio and offensive coordinator Don Treadwell like to establish.  The Spartans put up 409 points, second most in history only to the 1978 team’s 411 points.
• The Spartans achieved a winning record in November, 2-1, for the first time since 1999.  Late season swoons had become a trademark of the media’s characterization of “same old Spartans.”
• MSU re-established its ground game, which at times looked dominant.  In the 28-24 loss to archrival Michigan, MSU won the trench warfare during much of the game and won the rushing battle, which traditionally coincides with who wins this contest.  The Wolverines were worn down physically by the relentless Spartan ground game and needed a fortuitous bounce after a forced fumble along with a circus catch at game’s end to eke out a win.
• Contrary to what many media predicted, the Spartans did not lose focus the week after a close loss to Michigan.  Instead, they trounced a good Purdue team at West Lafayette, committing zero turnovers to the Boilermakers’ three.
• This year’s Spartans proved conclusively they could bounce back from adversity.  Against Penn State, MSU committed three turnovers with two interceptions and a fumble and trailed Penn State by as many as 17 points.  Last year’s team might have given up.  But this group, led by seniors like Jehuu Caulcrick, Kaleb Thornhill, Peter Clifford, Ervin Baldwin, Kellen Davis, Jonal Saint-Dic, Mike Gyetvai, Travis Key and SirDarean Adams, showed great tenacity and resilience throughout the season.
• MSU’s defense looked more aggressive under the schemes of  defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi and seemed to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than in recent years.
• MSU lifted a huge burden off its shoulders when it avenged last year’s humiliating loss to Notre Dame, when it squandered a 16-point fourth-quarter lead.  This season, Dantonio carved out a solid 31-14 win in South Bend that could have been more lopsided had he been greedy—a fact conceded by Irish coach Charlie Weis.
• The MSU offense wound up having the fewest giveaways in the nation—just five fumbles and five interceptions.  “That indicates an outstanding job by our players valuing the football,” says Dantonio.
• The Spartans won back three of four trophies—the Megaphone (from Notre Dame), the Brass Spittoon (from Indiana) and the Land-Grant (from Penn State).  They were just inches from capturing back all four, but Michigan was fortunate to retain the Paul Bunyan Trophy. 
• The passion factor:  Dantonio believes that to succeed in any field, one has to have passion for what one does.  After the loss to Michigan, when some Wolverine players made some statements belittling MSU, Dantonio’s passion for MSU seeped out during a press conference and some observers believe his fire might have helped rally the Spartans to season-ending wins over Purdue and Penn State.   

             Although the rebuilding pace under Dantonio was solid, many fans rued the wouldas, couldas and shouldas. Indeed, a handful of plays coulda yielded a miraculous 10-1 turnaround.  As Dantonio likes to reiterate, football is a game of inches—and his Spartans came within inches of world-beating success.  But to many long-suffering fans those inches felt like miles.

             MSU amassed 564 yards against No. 5 Wisconsin, but the Badgers, playing at home, squeaked by 37-34.  Against Northwestern, MSU lost 48-41 in overtime even though Javon Ringer gained 185 yards on 12 carries for 15.4 yards per carry.  Unfortunately, Wildcat quarterback C. J. Bacher passed for 521 yards, with some throws that were millimetrically precise.  Iowa was yet another heartbreaker—MSU built a 17-point lead at halftime and seemed in control, only to lose in double overtime.  The Spartans dominated and outgained Iowa 468-283, but the Hawkeyes were opportunistic in making the most of their scoring opportunities.

             Looking at the big picture, it seems clear Dantonio is steadily rebuilding MSU football’s foundation. Player penalties are down.  The turnover margin tilted in favor of MSU. Third down stops were atop league statistics. Red zone scoring seemed improved, especially the ability to punch the pigskin in via the ground. MSU handled adversity well and showed a will to compete till the end. There was no finger-pointing after losses. There were no “let downs” following marquee games. In the end, MSU exceeded what most pre-season prognosticators had foreseen. 

             “We want to win championships here,” Dantonio concluded at the team banquet.  “Our goal here is to win championships and to go to bowl games on January 1.  We will get there. I promise you that we will get there because the foundation has been established.”

            Although Dantonio likes to describe victories as “team wins,” several individuals stood out.  Senior Saint-Dic made first-team All Big Ten, boasting 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for losses and a league-leading 8 forced fumbles.  Junior wide receiver Devin Thomas, who mustered a record 2,370 all-purpose yards and emerged as MSU’s “go to” playmaker, broke Charles Rogers’ single-season record with 75 receptions.  Thomas, offensive lineman Pete Clifford and junior running back and team MVP Javon Ringer all made second-team All-Big Ten. 

             Senior running back and quad-captain Jehuu Caulcrick set MSU’s single-season record with 21 rushing touchdowns.  Senior defensive end Ervin Baldwin (7.5 sacks, 16 TFL) helped solidify MSU’s defensive front along with Saint-Dic. Junior quarterback Brian Hoyer emerged as a very productive passer, leading the league in yardage and efficiency.  Freshman linebacker Greg Jones led the team with 73 tackles (including 7.5 for losses) and made the Freshman All-Big Ten team.

             “Our players have manned up,” says Dantonio. “They have every single game, they have manned up and I am so very proud of them.”