Michigan State has chance to make statement against Ohio State.
October 16th, 2008 Posted in NCAA football newsMichigan State has chance to make statement against Ohio State. For a program that has been mired in mediocrity since Nick Saban departed in 1999, Saturdays Big Ten Conference showdown against Ohio State represents a huge opportunity for Michigan State.
The 17th-ranked Spartans (6-1, 3-0) will be playing for at least a share of first place in the Big Ten as they are tied atop the conference standings with the 11th-ranked Buckeyes and No. 3 Penn State.
Beat Ohio State, and Michigan State can starting thinking about the Rose Bowl. The Spartans close the season at Penn State on November 22.
In between, they have a winnable game at Michigan and home contests against Wisconsin and Purdue.
This is a big football game for us, second-year Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. I dont think that we want to downplay this in any respect, just like next weeks game and the next weeks game and the next weeks game.
Theyre all big coming down the stretch. Weve gotten ourselves into this situation. Were 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, so every game means something to us.
When Dantonio arrived in East Lansing last year, his first task was to change a culture of losing that had crept into the program during the tenure of previous coach John L. Smith, whose teams became known for their epic collapses in the second half of the season.
In 2005, the Spartans started 4-0 before losing six of their last seven games. The following year, they dropped eight of nine after opening 3-0.
Good bye, John L Smith.
Dantonio guided the Spartans to a 7-6 record in his first season – not great, but it represented progress.
More importantly, Michigan State won its final two regular-season games, although it did lose to Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl.
This year, the Spartans have taken off. After dropping their opener, 38-31, at California, they have reeled off six straight victories, their longest winning streak since starting the 1999 campaign 6-0 under Saban.
Still, until last weeks 37-20 victory against previously unbeaten Northwestern, Michigan State had not beaten a ranked opponent.
I think we as a coaching staff, the first thing we want to impress upon our players when we first got here, and Ive said it before, is we were playing for respect that was lost for one reason or another, and maybe weve gained back some of that respect, Dantonio said. And now, we have to continue to take the next steps in building that foundation.
The big question for the Spartans is obvious – are they ready to beat a team that has dominated the Big Ten for the past three seasons? They do get Ohio State at home.
Were still a work in progress, Dantonio said. Were still learning; were playing a lot of players. We play some young players. But on the flip side of that, our guys are making plays, too. Were making enough plays to be successful in the end.
One thing seems certain. Dantonios playbook cant be too complicated – not when he has a running back in Javon Ringer, who is averaging 35 carries per game.
Dantonio doesnt seem the least bit concerned that Ringer could break down. The senior has had two games this season in which he carried more than 40 attempts, and last week he rushed 35 times for 124 yards against Northwestern.
The leading rusher in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 1,112 yards and 14 touchdowns, Ringer is on pace to carry 423 times this season, which would actually fall short of the NCAA record of 450 set by Central Floridas Kevin Smith last year.
Dantonio likely will once again try to pound the ball against Ohio State behind Ringer, who was held to 49 yards in last seasons 24-17 loss to the Buckeyes.
With Michigan States reliance on a power running game and Ohio State coming off a 16-3 victory over Purdue in which it did not score an offensive touchdown, Saturdays clash could turn into an old-fashioned Big Ten slugfest.
Such a scenario would suit Dantonio just fine.
I think the key to the game certainly will be execution and attention to detail, he said. We need to play mistake free. And I think the other thing that is very important is we need to play with excitement.
