Michigan State vs Oregon: Grading the Spartans

Sep 12, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio smiles during an interview after the game against the Oregon Ducks at Spartan Stadium. Spartans beat the Ducks 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan State vs Oregon game this past weekend did not disappoint. From the atmosphere in East Lansing, to the down-to-the-wire action and a Spartan victory, MSU had plenty of things to be thankful for and it all starts with head coach Mark Dantonio who made a game, and win, like this possible for Spartan Nation.

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Ten years ago, no one could have dreamt up a situation like this for the Michigan State football program. John L. Smith had just gotten done running the Spartans into the basement of the Big Ten and Mark Hollis, along with the help of Tom Izzo, was responsible for the hiring of Mark Dantonio.

A decade later and we are looking at one of the best football programs in the country that just came off a huge home victory against a top-10 opponent.

Gone are the days in which Michigan State worried about facing a .500 team at home because any victory seemed like a blessing at that point in time. The Spartans struggled to finish about the .500 mark on their own under John L. and they were the laughing stock of the conference.

Michigan‘s “big brother” status remained very strong, but the Spartans quickly learned under Coach D that greatness and success come with hard work. The results have shown that instantly with eight straight bowl appearances and four consecutive bowl victories.

Michigan State played Oregon tough all game long and controlled the contest for the most part, only trailing once to begin the game after a three-minute and something drive by the Ducks only to be answered by a three-play MSU drive for a touchdown.

Let’s give this new-age Spartan team some grades for Saturday’s victory.

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