Spartans Face Difficult Test From A Team of Recruited Warriors & Heroes More than Skilled Athletes!

At the United States Air Force Academy they find a way to win double digit games while not going after your typical college football athlete. They can’t just

At the United States Air Force Academy they find a way to win double digit games while not going after your typical college football athlete. They can’t just drool over a five star WR with 4.3 speed that has a 2.0 grade point average. They are looking for something far more important.

They are looking for future heroes. The future officers who will serve with dignity and honor the greatest nation on earth: The United States of America! While some say America is no longer great (I vehemently disagree) the young men who take the field at Spartan Stadium on Saturday are the epitome of American Exceptionalism. These young men spend their summers at the academy doing things most humans do not even consider humanly possible.

I spoke with Dantonio about that this week. He couldn’t agree more about the type of player coming in. “I think first of all you have to recognize just what you're saying. Highly motivated people. When you read their personal backgrounds, on quite a few, especially guys that are juniors and seniors, it says, Completed survival training July of 2013 or June of 2013. When you're doing things like that, you're used to being in situations that are highly competitive.”

He continued, “That's what you see. I think they're athletic on defense. I think they're quick-bodied on defense. I see skill on the defensive side of the ball. I see it on the offensive side of the ball. Same type of skill level in terms of cutting people. You got to stay up on your feet. They present a lot of problems in terms of, I guess, discipline, who has who on the options, things of that nature, all these types of things.”

Dantonio added, “You have to break them down and divide them. A whole different way of practicing against them. Really we started practicing against them last spring. It's a tough game, a tough draw for Michigan State. This is something we've not experienced here. We've played option football here before, but not to this level. They present other problems with the no-huddle offense. Also using different normal power and things of that nature, combining those aspects as well.”

Dantonio finished saying, “Difficult team to prepare for. Very well-coached. Ron Burton comes from there, our defensive line coach, for 11 years. Richard Bell who was my defensive coordinator at South Carolina when I played there. A long time defensive coordinator there, retired. You can see his footprint on their defense as well. An impressive program. Won a lot of football games. I think they play at a very high level.”

So as you cheer on your Spartans in a football game on Saturday, keep this in mind. These fine young men you may be cheering on soon flying over ISIS or Taliban targets. Defenders of freedom. Saturday is about football, but these men are enjoying four years preparing to lay their life down for each of us.

Air Force is not favored to win Saturday. They certainly could, but their chances of winning are slim. Make no mistake though, they are winners. They are heroes. Selfless people from all races, socio economic backgrounds and creeds that simply have one thing in common: they love America. Young men who at the end of their college football career are willing to die so that college football is still played in a free country 25 years from now.

That makes this game even more special.