Dantonio Knows Upset of Ohio State Hinges on Defense

He knows his way around Ohio Stadium as well as anyone in the Big Ten, and not just because he's been in the league longer than almost any opposing coach.

For Michigan State's Mark Dantonio, the Horseshoe is where he had some of his greatest triumphs, both while working at OSU as an assistant and after leaving to take over in East Lansing.

Defense has been the backbone of all those triumphs, starting with the ones he orchestrated as Ohio State's defensive coordinator under Jim Tressel to help win the 2002 national championship, and then at MSU since 2007, where his 111 wins rank first in school history.

Eastern Division supremacy on the line

"At the end of the day, if you want to be Big Ten champions or the East Division champions, that goes through Columbus, Ohio," Dantonio said.

That's about as sexy a quote as you'll ever get from the MSU coach, whose exterior expressions fall somewhere between sour and dour.

Fittingly, playing his Spartans is the same sort of experience.

His defense is typically among the best in the Big Ten and this year's is no exception, allowing just 55.8 yards per-game rushing to rank fourth in the nation.

OSU knows Michigan State won't lack confidence

"They’re not going to be intimidated by Ohio State," OSU coach Ryan Day said.
"Are you kidding me? They’ve been in here plenty of times in the stadium and done a great job.

"(They) have one of the more storied histories in all of college football at Michigan State. Those guys know the recipe, and we’d better come to play, or else we’re going to be in it."

MSU gave Ohio State fits last year at Spartan Stadium before wilting from too many defensive snaps brought on by an inept offense in the fourth quarter.

The same epitaph may be true of them this year, although MSU scored 40 on Indiana last week thanks to a last-play defensive TD.

No comparison between MSU, OSU offensive capabilities

Still, OSU scored 48 Saturday at Nebraska, 76 the week before against Miami of Ohio and 52 on the Hoosiers a few weeks ago.

The Buckeyes' offense is closer to a weapon of mass destruction, compared to the cap pistol which is MSU.

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"I think it's 32 touchdowns to 4 is what the deal is," said Dantonio, whose team scored only one TD in a 10-7 home loss to Arizona State. ""They've had 500 yards every game but one, and they got 469 in that one. The quarterback has thrown 16 touchdown passes, Justin Fields, and maybe zero interceptions. So they're playing extremely well."

MSU has inflicted some painful upset losses on Ohio State

OSU certainly is, but it's lost to MSU as a heavy favorite twice before during Dantonio's career.

In the 2013 Big Ten championship game, his Spartans were then in a different division and claimed a 34-24 win to knock Ohio State out of the final BCS championship game.

In 2015, despite losing starting quarterback Connor Cook to a shoulder injury the week before, MSU grabbed a last-play, 17-14 win in Columbus.

Fifth-year seniors like K.J. Hill, Damon Arnette, Robert Landers, Josh Alabi and Robert Landers were redshirt freshmen on that team, and will hear about MSU's past success this week.

Day will give Buckeyes a green-and-white history lesson

"I feel it’s important to understand what you’re getting into every week, and every week is a whole new season," Day said. "It matters, I think. It’s the coaching staff we’re going against. It’s Michigan State. It’s the people. It’s everything.

"It’s important to know the history of the two teams, and when they’ve played, what’s happened, and what you’re up against each week. I really think that’s important to teach these kids. They’re 18, 19, 20 years old. Some of them don’t even really understand the history. I think it’s good for them to hear that and understand that and know what they’re getting into each week.