Sorry Coach Perles, MSU vs. UM Saturday Counts as More Than One…

I took heat for saying earlier in the year, “Improving Spartans Not What We Thought They Were.” It was true, but not easy for some to digest. I get that.Â

I took heat for saying earlier in the year, “Improving Spartans Not What We Thought They Were.” It was true, but not easy for some to digest. I get that. I understand it, but it has been proven true. What I saw then, most see and recognize now.

Michigan State will have at least four more games on their schedule after this game. Coach Perles used to say and Dantonio loves to reiterate that, “They all count one.” With the Spartans season on the brink, they don’t all count one this week.

I asked Dantonio if he agreed with my assertion based on how the season has went. He said, “I think it can be a defining moment for us. I think it could be a rallying point or a moment where we can start going in the other direction.  But I think any football game, I think this last football game we played, could have been that moment as well. When you lose close like that, like I said opening this up, there are many different things you can point to and say, If we would have done this, if this would have happened, if that were called one way or the other, those type of things. But it is what it is. You have got to deal in the present. That's all I can tell anyone. You can't look in the past. You can learn from the past, but you have to deal in the present and prepare for the future. That's what we're going to do.”

If the Spartans were 7-0 or 6-1 I wouldn’t feel this way. They aren’t. They are a disappointing 4-3. If the Spartans lose on Saturday I do not expect them to make a bowl. With Wisconsin, Nebraska and Northwestern left on the schedule I don’t think a struggling Spartan team can overcome that.

A win on Saturday reenergizes the Spartans and can put them back on track for a significant season. This game is more than one. It is pivotal.

That notion was reiterated by Dantonio himself, “First of all, I think it's always a pivotal game regardless of what the records are and those types of things. We've never backed away from the challenge since we've come here. We'll always maintain that approach. I think it's a great opportunity, a good rivalry game, good for the state of Michigan, good for college football in general from our perspective.”

He went on to add, “So in terms of this time, this year, obviously a win's a win. They all count one. So it would be very big for us in that respect just in terms of where we're at. It's game eight. Game eight is two‑thirds of the season for us.”

What are the long term implications? Dantonio went on to say, “As far as long‑term, you say it hasn't been done before so I guess that's something that you look at and you would savor later on in your life. As far as what does it mean in 2012, it means one win, where we're at in the Legends race, and obviously it's a rivalry game. You always point to those. You keep track of those for the rest of your life, you just do. I think you do that regardless of where I have been in rival games. Regardless of what college I've been at, that particular game, you've always kept track of them. So we'll keep track.”

UM Coach Brady Hoke doesn’t run from how big the game is. For this first time in his tenure Michigan State has more to lose than the Wolverines. Hoke said, “When you're playing rivalry game, your motivation, it better come from within. It's not something you put up or something you do. I mean, usually comes from within. So I would hope we're college student-athletes and we understand that."

Hoke went on to say, "I think it's important because we're trying to get our fifth win. We're trying to win a conference championship just like everybody else. That's important. I mean, obviously in-state, you know, there is a pretty direct line drawn in the sand if you're the University of Michigan or Michigan State. So you understand, and from being here eight years before, you understand the game itself and what goes into it."

Most games do count one. Not this year. This is a big game for the struggling Spartans. With so much hope coming into the season and so much frustration since it started, a win here can comfort many wounds.

People keep reflecting on the 2009 season when looking at this one. That year the Spartans went 6-6 and lost in the Alamo Bowl. That team at least had a win over Michigan. If the Spartans lose Saturday and even run the table and finish 8-4, I still think the 2012 season would go down as worse. So much more expectation and hope to start this campaign separates it.

This we know. The Michigan State Spartans wrote the book on stopping Dennard and they haven’t thrown it away. Now can they execute? We shall see. Will this team take whatever the Michigan defense offers and attack or will they stick stubbornly to a game plan if the Wolverines take it away? One thing we know, we are only two days away.

The Spartans season rests on Saturday.