Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Football: Upset of Penn State proves Mark Dantonio still has it

By Connor Muldowney

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans looks on against the Penn State Nittany Lions on October 13, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans looks on against the Penn State Nittany Lions on October 13, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Michigan State football went on the road to take down No. 8 Penn State in shocking fashion, and it proves Mark Dantonio still has it.

How much is Michigan State going to lose by? That was the question on just about everyone’s minds heading into a Week 7 road game in Happy Valley, but the Spartans, in typical Mark Dantonio fashion, stole a win from the No. 8 Nittany Lions.

Despite not having a strong offensive attack all afternoon long, the Spartans were able to score when it mattered — in the final 20 seconds of the game.

For the second straight season, Dantonio’s Spartans upset a ranked Penn State game following a Northwestern loss in a game in which they were 13-point underdogs.

So why did fans doubt Dantonio in the first place?

Right, it was that tough home loss to Northwestern. It was the poor play-calling and the refusal by the head coach when it came to firing his offensive coordinator, Dave Warner. It was all of that, but the Spartans were able to shake off all the doubt and beat the Nittany Lions in shocking fashion.

Not only did Dantonio proved the doubters wrong and make even his own fans who questioned his future with the program a week ago eat some crow.

Dantonio pulled out all the stops in Happy Valley, putting together a few trick plays — two of which led to a big first-half touchdown. The third trick play was Dantonio going for Penn State’s jugular — and he wasn’t down on his luck when it wasn’t converted.

There was no panic. There was no visible stress. There was confidence. That’s Mark Dantonio.

When your head coach believes you can pull off an upset on the road against a top-10 team in the country, the team buys in.

There was a spark this week. The team was playing with high energy levels and the sideline was electric. That separated this year’s team from the 2016 squad which would have crumbled in the exact same situation.

Next. Top 25 MSU football players of Mark Dantonio era. dark

For all of those who were in the “fire Dantonio” crowd a week ago, put your pitchforks away. The ol’ head coach still has it.

Home/Spartans Football