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Fiery Mark Dantonio unhappy with toughness, waiting for offense to ‘figure it out’
By Dave Holcomb
Published:
Michigan State won its opening game by 21 points, but no one would have been able to tell by coach Mark Dantonio’s press conference Tuesday.
Dantanio was most upset at his offense, using phrases such as “not good enough” and calling out as much as half of the team on “effort,” game awareness, and “toughness.”
Dantonio: "Football is a game of effort, toughness and knowing what to do. Half of our team figured that out."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 3, 2019
These weren’t typical, “we need to get better” coaching cliques, though, as Dantonio called out specific groups of players.
Dantonio asked about lack of push on OL: "Not good enough. Gotta get on the right people." Adds that he was disappointed in offensive effort, WR not running full-speed routes, OL missing assignments.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 3, 2019
Dantonio says OL "didn't get on the right people or lacked in terms of physicality. This game demands that."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 3, 2019
However, one reporter brought up the frustration from Spartans fans, and at that point, Dantonio began spitting out more cliches in defense of the players.
Dantonio on fans' frustration: "People see the product, they don't understand the process." It's a game of repetition. "This is about hard work and execution." Holding coaches accountable as well for play call/selection.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 3, 2019
Of course, not all is lost either, as Dantonio then essentially said the team needs to get back to work.
Dantonio: "I'm not in a panic situation about" the offense. "We need to get busy."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 3, 2019
But the Michigan State coach’s best line came in the form of this quote:
Mark Dantonio is on point today talking about his offense: "There's only so many ways to skin a cat. At the end of the day you've got to skin the cat. There's another good quote for you. Write that down."
— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) September 3, 2019
Michigan State probably should have beaten Tulsa by more than 21, but a win’s a win. The Spartans will be back in action this Saturday night against Western Michigan.