12-05-2022, 08:50 AM
This is a chance for No. 25 Michigan State to be opportunistic when it comes to the Big Ten race. After all, the Buckeyes are a top-five team that might be the most complete team in the country. They haven't lost to a Big Ten team at home since the Spartans beat No. 2 Ohio State 17-14 in 2015."That's a statement in itself that nobody has won there since 2015," Dantonio told Sporting News on Wednesday.That last Deion Sanders Jersey victory was against the defending national champions, and Michigan State's last visit to Ohio Stadium ended in a 48-3 lo s in 2017. The Buckeyes (5-0) have won their last 14 Big Ten home games by an average of 28 points per game, and the Spartans enter as 20-point underdogs.MORE: One could argue No. 25 Michigan State (4-1) could make an even bigger statement this time around. Dantonio knows what it takes to win at Ohio Stadium from both sidelines. He was on the field as a Michigan State a sistant when the Nick Saban-led Spartans shocked No. 1 Ohio State 28-24 in 1998. He also was Ohio State's defensive coordinator for the 2002 national championship team and the last time he was in The Shoe for a night game was 2003."The first thing when you go down there is you can't be afraid," Dantonio told SN. "You have to have confidence in yourself. I think that's very, very important. The second thing is you better focus on the moment and make sure every play Madison Bumgarner Jersey counts and stack those plays one at a time and try not to get into too many setbacks. The last thing is you better be confident relatively confident in what you are doing relative to who you are playing."No Michigan State coach has personified that more than Dantonio since Duffy Daugherty, who piled up 109 victories at Michigan State from 1954-72. Dantonio pa sed Daughtery this season and now has 111 victories with the Spartans. Michigan State is the only Big Ten team other than Ohio State to reach the College Football Playoff, and that came after the upset of the Buckeyes in 2015."That's a humbling comparison because Duffy Daugherty did so much for college football in terms of integration," Dantonio said. "I think he was truly a pioneer for college football in his time. I don't really look at it like that."Dantonio maintains the same next-game-up philosophy that has served the program well throughout his tenure. Yes, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 12 Penn State, No. 14 Iowa and No. 19 Michigan are ranked higher in the polls. Like Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa, the Spartans have a top-10 defense. Still it will bea challenge to slow down a Buckeyes offense that averages 52.4 points per game."I think they have a dynamic running back in (J.K.) Dobbins, and Master Teague is a good running back, too," Dantonio said. "You've got to be able to stop the run. In '15 we did. In '17 we did not. Then you have to limit their explosive plays. Then, you have to come up with some turnovers Aramis Garcia Jersey and be opportunistic on offense and very good on special teams."That will be the other challenge: Can Michigan State's offense be methodical enough to play keep away and score points against the Buckeyes? Quarterback Brian Lewerke has improved acro s the board and has 10 touchdowns and just one interception this season."They've scored 38 TDs and given up four and I don't know if I've ever heard of that, so it's quite one-sided. I think you have to be able to control the game from a clock standpoint," Dantonio said. "I don't think we're going to go in there and say, 'Hey, we're going to score four TDs on four 50-yard bombs.' I think it's going to be a combination of being able to control the ball. You can't take negative-yardage plays, take sacks or turn the ball over."WEEK 6 PICKS: | That is the recipe Dantonio is taking to Ohio State, and he repeats the same mantra to his players that he started with in 2007: "Believe in yourself before anybody else does."That served Daugherty well in the never-ending battles with Big Ten heavyweights Ohio State and Orlando Cepeda Jersey Michigan. Daugherty finished 10-7-2 against Michigan and 4-6 against Ohio State, a combined record of 14-13-2. Daugherty is the only Michigan State coach who beat the Buckeyes four times.Dantonio, meanwhile, is 8-4 against Michigan and 3-7 against the Buckeyes a combined record of 11-11 that would not have seemed po sible given the state of the program when he arrived. That's a bigger statement than anything that could unfold in Columbus on Saturday, even if Dantonio even concedes, with a chuckle, that "it would be ironic if we could beat them for a fourth time."Dantonio, however, sticks to the one comparison he wants to last longest with Daughtery."I do hope, I know his players loved him because I know a lot of his players now Gene Washington, Clint Jones and some others like George Webster when he was still with us," Dantonio said. "They truly cared for him as Willie McCovey Jersey a person, and hopefully that's what comes acro s from my players when they think of me."That sounds like a coach who believes in his team before everybody else does. That's also why Saturday could be a lot more interesting than it looks.