Spartans Arrive In Orlando; Resume Bowl Preparation
12/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 25, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - The 19th-ranked Michigan State Spartans (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) arrived in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 25, to resume preparation for the team's Jan. 1, 2009, game against No. 16 Georgia (9-3, 6-2 SEC) in the Capital One Bowl. With temperatures below 20 and seven inches of snow on the ground, the 228-passenger World Airways charter flight left Lansing's Capital City Airport at 4:15 p.m. The official travel party, including 58 players, touched down at Orlando International Airport at 7:10 p.m. with temperatures in the upper-70s.
The Spartans will conduct practices for the next six days at Freedom High School in Orlando, beginning Friday, Dec. 26 at 9:15 a.m.
"We've already been through three phases of bowl preparation," Dantonio said. "The first phase was a return to basics, which allowed us to focus on fundamentals and basic concepts. That's a positive because during the season the focus is on preparing for a different opponent for 12 games. It's easy to get away from the basics because you shift gears so quickly throughout the season. The second phase was live scrimmaging, which we did a lot during the recruiting period. The third and final phase is game preparation, and we'll pick right up where we left off from that standpoint here in Orlando.
"A couple of younger guys that really stood out during the on-campus practices were (red-shirt freshman quarterback) Kirk Cousins and (sophomore offensive tackle) J'Michael Deane. Kirk played good football when given opportunities this season, and he continues to take strides forward, while J'Michael has been doing some good things in practice. We had so many players step up when given an opportunity this season that I don't expect to see a bunch of new faces in the lineup for the bowl game.
"We certainly could feel the heat and humidity when we stepped off the plane. The Champs Sports Bowl was played at night last year, but the Capital One Bowl kicks off at 1 p.m. So we'll have to get ourselves acclimated to the heat. We have played a lot of players throughout the season and that gives us added depth. I truly believe depth is going to be an important factor on game day."
Players living more than 3 1/2 hours from the MSU campus had the option to take commercial flights to Orlando. All 103 players arrived in time for a 9 p.m. team meeting at The Peabody Orlando.
Despite living more than 4 hours from campus, All-America running back Javon Ringer elected to return to town and board the team charter to Orlando.
"My teammates are the No. 1 reason why I came back to campus to fly on the charter," Ringer said. "I want to savor every moment and experience with my teammates as my college career comes to an end. I even stayed awake for the majority of the plane ride, so I could talk to my teammates and enjoy the in-flight movie.
"There definitely has to be a balance between preparing for the bowl game and having fun. As seniors, it's our job to make sure that everyone understands that. I do believe that everyone understands there are times to work and times to play on this trip. We'll take a serious attitude into all of the meetings and to the practice field. There will be social opportunities as well, including the trip to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure for the rollercoaster rides. But make no mistake; we definitely came down here to do a job."
The 2009 Capital One Bowl marks Michigan State's second straight trip to Orlando, as the Spartans lost to No. 14 Boston College, 24-21, in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl.
"It certainly does help that we played here in a bowl game last December," Dantonio said. "In fact, we stayed just down the road from The Peabody Orlando. We had no curfew issues and no off-the-field problems for last year's Champs Sports Bowl. Last year's team came to practice every day ready to work, so the standard has been set for this football team. I like the maturity level of this year's team, and I'm confident the seniors will help uphold that work standard."
"I think that it's definitely an advantage that we played a bowl game in Orlando last year," Ringer said. "We're already familiar with the surroundings. The only things new are the team hotel and practice facility."
The 9-3 Spartans are attempting to become just the third team in school history to reach the 10-win milestone (1965 and 1999).
"To win the bowl game against Georgia would be the icing on the cake for my career," Ringer said. "We have an opportunity to become only the third team in school history to win 10 games in a season. A win over Georgia would certainly help give this program a boost for the future. I'm really excited about the future of Spartan football because even better days are ahead."
The 2009 Capital One Bowl will be televised nationally by ABC with kickoff set for 1 p.m. EST.
