Mark Dantonio
Mark Dantonio
Mark Justin Dantoniois an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he has held since the 2007 season, presiding over one of the most successful eras in the program's history. He's led the Michigan State Spartans to three Big Ten Conference championships, and seven victories over archrival Michigan in eight years. In 2013, he coached Michigan State to its first 13-win season and the program's fifth trip to...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth9 March 1956
CityEl Paso, TX
That's not an excuse. We've got to grow up in a hurry.
I firmly believe if we get that ball in there, it's a football game. I don't know if we were going to win, but it's a football game. ... We weren't the same team in the second half.
They remind me of our Ohio State defense in 2002. Teams are not going to score on them. They don't give up big plays. They pressure the ball and force turnovers.
Our guys have worked hard this spring and we have had good competition at a lot of positions. I have been pleased with our effort most of the time, yet I know we need to get better in a lot of areas, too. I am looking forward to who comes out ready to play and compete on Saturday, and who plays with toughness and who plays fast.
This will be their first game in this type of environment. I'm sure they'll be a little wide-eyed, but hopefully we've learned our lesson in terms of young players and how they prepare.
We have a lot of young players that have not experienced the Louisville game yet. I don't know if they can identify with it. But for the players that went through it, it will be very motivating.
We came in at halftime and we thought we were going to win the game.
We couldn't put him out there vs. their wide receivers limping. He tried to go, but he just could not go. He will be back.
We just have to play better on special teams, and we need to start making plays on offense.
Today will give us a good opportunity to continue evaluating where we are and how we need to get better.
We didn't affect the quarterback. We brought pressure but we didn't get to him. That left people on an island.
We are pretty banged up in some areas on our team, but our attitude was outstanding this spring, and we look forward to the 2006 season.
We actually don't feel any pressure. I mean, we see what they are going through, but it hasn't changed our mindset. We have to be successful for us, period. Other programs' success or failure does not add to the pressure we put on ourselves.
We would not take a guy at this late date if he couldn't help us. When you watch him on film, he looks like (an impact player). He catches the ball very well over the middle. We hope he is that type of player. You never know until they get here, but he was one of the top players in the Pittsburgh area last year.