Spartans Arrive In San Jose
12/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 27, 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Michigan State head football coach Bobby Williams sent his team through a 90-minute workout at San Jose State University Wednesday as the Spartans (6-5) resumed preparation for the Silicon Valley Football Classic Dec. 31 against No. 20 Fresno State (11-2). With temperatures near 60, the Spartans practiced in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets.
"This was the perfect way to start our game-week preparation," Williams said. "We had a very good practice because the players were really into it. The tempo was good and the spirits were high. We had eight good practices in East Lansing (Mich.) before the Holiday break and the players picked up right where they left off. It was really great to see that carryover.
"We followed a Monday practice format and it included a complete run through of our game plan for Fresno State."
The Spartans have practices scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday before conducting a final walk-through Sunday in San Jose State's Spartan Stadium.
"As a team, we've talked about why we can out here to San Jose," Williams said. "We came here with a purpose - to win the bowl game. Right now, we're focused on preparing to win.
"We have a number of juniors and seniors on this team who made the trip to Orlando two years ago for the Florida Citrus Bowl (a 37-34 victory over Florida). Those upperclassmen understand what it takes to properly prepare for a bowl game."
The players share Williams' business-like approach to the game.
"The (four-day) layoff was too long," senior wide receiver Herb Haygood said. "I thought the team looked sharp today, especially considering we weren't able to practice much on grass back home. We're excited to be here and we're excited about playing a talented Fresno State team."
"I've never been to California before so this is a lot of fun for me," senior linebacker Josh Thornhill said. "I wanted to see a palm tree and now I have, so I'm good to go. We know it's time to get back to work."
"We've talked about finding a balance between getting our work done on the practice field and having a good time," sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker said. "We're supposed to have fun on a bowl trip but the only reason we're here is to win a football game. We came out here focused and ready to prepare."
The second annual Silicon Valley Football Classic will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net on Dec. 31 with kickoff set for 3:00 p.m. EST (12:00 p.m. PST).