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Mark Dantonio discusses involvement with woeful offense: That’s on me, too
By Paul Harvey
Published:
That is not how the Spartans wanted to end the 2018 season.
Offensively speaking, this season could not end fast enough for Michigan State. Mark Dantonio’s squad was unable to consistently move the ball in the Redbox Bowl, losing 7-6 to Oregon. It marked the third time in the last four games that the Spartans did not score a touchdown.
There’s no denying MSU dealt with multiple injuries on the offensive side of the ball this year. QB Brian Lewerke, RB LJ Scott, WRs Felton Davis III and Cody White, and multiple linemen missed time over the season. Still, this team should have been able to at least hit double-digit points after a month of preparation.
As expected, Dantonio touched on the offensive issues that continued to plague the Spartans as they have all year. He admitted some of the issues fall on him because he was heavily involved in the offensive preparation:
Dantonio said he was "deeply involved in the offense the last month, so that's on me, too."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
For now, Dantonio was unwilling to comment on any potential changes for next season:
Dantonio asked about rethinking offense or changes going into offseason: "I don't think you make those decisions right now."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Here are Dantonio’s other comments following the game:
Dantonio says Oregon's one scoring drive was the difference in the game. "Obviously, we played very well on the defensive side of the ball." Offense lacked explosive plays but had production. "You sort of scratch your head."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Dantonio said he felt good about kicking the FG at the end of the game. "But we'll never know."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Dantonio: "You're looking for more production. You're not gonna win many games scoring 6 points."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Dantonio on offense: "We did a lot of different things. … I thought we did some thing well." Saw consistency, "But we never got that bust-out play."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Dantonio: "I think we're playing championship defense. We're playing as well as any defense we've ever had here."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Dantonio: "We've had a lot of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, and we've lost some very, very close games." Says losing Lewerke and Scott and Davis for extended times, "that's a lot of production lost."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) December 31, 2018
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.