Buck Killer

April 27th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^

Still hate the focus on big ten championships. Need to set the goal to be undefeated and get to the national championship. That used to really hurt our program in the bowl games. Athletics is a mindset for every high level athlete.

jericho

April 27th, 2013 at 10:47 AM ^

I thought near the end of the video that Dantonio was going into Michigan's lockerroom to give congrats to the team that won.  That would have counted against his douchebag image.  Then I realized that he really is a douche and of course he wouldn't do that.  Image secure.

BILG

April 27th, 2013 at 11:01 AM ^

Call him a douche, call him an asshole, but he took a 2nd rate Big Ten program and gave them an identity.  While it is unfortunate that this identity hinges almost entirely on how they perform against Michigan, he did manage to beat us 4 years in a row.  Saying 3 of those years were agains RR etc, is a lame excuse as we would not allow them to write off all their losses to years of incompetent coaching (John L. Smith, etc.).  For a school that has never been relevant nationally, he knows that beating big brother which is a national brand is the best bet at getting exposure.

Point being, while he's a grumpy asshole, have to give him credit as a defensive genius and someone capable of instilling pride and belief in a very mediocre program.  Unfortunately for him, the talent gap between UM and MSU will be too much to coach through going forward.  He missed out on that OSU job when he peaked.  If he doesnt get a better job offer next year He will fade towards anonymity as that program is headed towards a steep decline.  OSU, ND, and Michigan will raid all local talent.  His top 25 to 30ish classes will be competitive but once every 4 years against our top 5 hauls.

JMEISTER

April 27th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^

but when you seriously analyze their wins over the last 5 years, they really didn't beat any good teams.  Michigan only after the RR decimation, ohio only after tatgate, Wiscy only on a miracle bomb, and ND on the infamous fake fieldgoal.  Seriously, they beat no one in those 5 years.  No One!!!

snarling wolverine

April 27th, 2013 at 7:13 PM ^

I'm no Spartan fan, but  . . . you can only beat the teams on your schedule.  Did we beat a ton of awesome teams in 2011, when we went 11-2?  

I don't think MSU is likely to ever again post back-to-back 11-win seasons like they did in 2010 and '11, but I'll give them their due for accomplishing it when they did.

 

JMEISTER

April 27th, 2013 at 10:07 PM ^

But I'm just sayin', they may have had a great record, they just didn't beat anyone.  I know that when we were 11-2 under Hoke, we didn't beat anyone either, with the possible exception of VT in the bowl game.  That's part of the reason they sucked last year.  We were actually better last year, and had a worse record.  They were a bit worse last year and had a terrible record.   

jmblue

April 27th, 2013 at 2:58 PM ^

True, but they've been mostly mediocre since the end of segregation in the SEC.  They were one of the few schools to recruit nationally in the '50s/'60s and had a strong pipeline of black Southerners during that time.  After the SEC opened up, the pipeline dried out and they've never fully recovered.

 

 

DirkMcGurk

April 27th, 2013 at 11:13 AM ^

Is that after that game neither fan base was able to realize they saw a classic dog fight rivalry game. Nope it turns into how quickly they can go all jr high and rag on the opposing fan base. Hate MSU all you want but it has been a rivalry lately and that is fun.

Thorin

April 27th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^

I know what you're saying, but no. It was more fun when they sucked. UM, OSU and ND are the big three in the region. MSU is an in-state Illinois (huge rivalry for them, no so much for us).

go16blue

April 27th, 2013 at 11:27 AM ^

Those close ups on the lines before the snap are part of what makes football the best sport on earth. Such an intense physical and mental battle on every play, the likes of which I'm not sure you'll see in any other sport. I love soccer (in fact I'm watching it right now), but seeing that was truly refreshing. Can't wait for football season. 

jmblue

April 27th, 2013 at 11:45 AM ^

Great segment.  The Journey is a great show.

Man, I forgot about those Christmas tree ornament helmets MSU wore in the game.  Ugh.

LSAClassOf2000

April 27th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^

I think that "The Journey" is one of the better offerings among the regular shows on BTN, but I had not seen this one before and it was awesome to rekindle the memories of being there to see it in person. 

 I saw the replay on BTN the next day - I think their call of game-winning FG basically captured what was going through a lot of minds in the stadium: "Gibbons.......GIBBONS.....IT'S GOOD"