Dantonio Seizes the Opportunity to Teach Class and Respect

It was a glorious day in South Bend on Saturday. The Spartan Nation stood strong in Notre Dame Stadium as time expired. Hugs and handshakes were exchanged and

It was a glorious day in South Bend on Saturday. The Spartan Nation stood strong in Notre Dame Stadium as time expired. Hugs and handshakes were exchanged and the emotion began to spill over as Dantonio’s troops made their way to the fifty-yard line for their post game prayer. It was a feeling of happiness, redemption and mostly a tempered emotion that came with vindication. A week earlier, the Wolverines dismantled Notre Dame and their rivals from East Lansing showed few signs of mercy.

Dantonio recognized the perfect opportunity to put a stamp on this rivalry by handling the last minutes of the game with class and respect. Dantonio has been on this stage before as an assistant at Ohio State. He knows how important it is to win, but most importantly he understands how to win in a manner that bodes well in future contests. There were two opportunities for MSU to run Notre Dame into the ground. Jehuu and Javon were asserting their will as Notre Dame’s defense tired and MSU’s offensive line crushed Notre Dame at the point of attack. Dantonio kicked the field goal (which was wide left) and on the following drive chose to run the clock rather than pad statistics.

There was no reference made to Weiss’s guarantee that Notre Dame would never lose to Michigan State again. Flags were left on the sidelines. No questions were directed from the Spartan faithful at Weiss and his claim to have been contacted by Matt Trannon a year ago. The anger and the pain caused by the two previous seasons between these teams was replaced by truth, respect and genuine sportsmanship. This happened because the bigger man (not literally) took the lead and seized the opportunity to teach his team and their fans a valuable lesson. Mark Dantonio taught his new Spartan team the meaning of winning with class and acting as if they’d been there before. It was every bit as important as their unblemished 4-0 record and it was appreciated by Weiss as he referenced Dantonio’s willingness to “put the bats away.”

I will be the first to tell you that I wanted revenge and I wanted to see Charlie Weiss eat crow as much as anyone on Saturday. I was angry with Weiss and the arrogance he displayed in 2006. I wanted the Big Green Giant to topple Notre Dame’s golden dome and avenge the horrible lie told about our Spartan warrior Matt Trannon.

Charlie knew Michigan State had every opportunity to squeeze the last drop of blood out of his troops. I have to think that he expected the Spartan Nation to reach out and administer a big ‘ol atomic wedgy when we had a chance. Mark Dantonio proved once again that Michigan State made the right move last fall when they hired him. With a chapter out of the Tom Izzo book of class and respect, Mark Dantonio shook Charlie’s hand, looked him in the eye and gave Weiss more respect than he possibly deserved. Mark Dantonio taught more than his players a lesson that day. He taught the Spartan Nation that winning graciously is part of the rebuilding process. Thank-you Mark; you are a first class Spartan and an example for all to follow.