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Mark Dantonio calls MSU-UM rivalry ‘good for the state of Michigan’
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While Jim Harbaugh decided not to dive too deep into the importance of the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry game, Mark Dantonio offered a little more opinion during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
The Spartans and Wolverines will go toe-to-toe on Saturday afternoon in a game that will have a huge impact on the race in the B1G East. Dantonio wasn’t afraid to speak on the importance on this weekend’s matchup, even though his counterpart at Michigan didn’t care to elaborate much.
“It’s a noon game, it’s a rivalry game,” Dantonio said Tuesday. “It’s good for college football and good for the state of Michigan. I understand how important this game is to our fans and our state.
On Monday, Harbaugh said that both sides could “use a break from the clichés” regarding the trash talk and hype surrounding the matchup.
Both Michigan State and Michigan are coming off huge wins this week. The Spartans stunned No. 8 Penn State in Happy Valley with a 21-17 victory that was won on the final drive of the game. Michigan obliterated No. 15 Wisconsin 38-13 in Ann Arbor.
The Spartans have gotten the better end of the Wolverines recently, winning eight of the last 11 meetings. Dantonio is 2-1 against Harbaugh.
Saturday’s matchup is huge for the state of Michigan, but it’s also big for the B1G East. And that’s another reason why Dantonio believes it’s a really important game for his team.
“It’s always intense,” he said. “I think you’re playing for more as you’re going forward.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB