Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Finding Right Balance of Emotion for Big Games
10/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 19, 2011
By Steve Grinczel, Online Columnist for msuspartans.com
Getting up emotionally for big game after big game is said to be one of the toughest challenges in sports. It's just too hard to maintain a fever pitch for weeks on end. Letdowns are all but inevitable.
Under head coach Mark Dantonio, Michigan State has done a good job of avoiding coming-out-flat syndrome for the most part by making its process for getting amped up second nature, according to junior linebacker Chris Norman.
The Spartans will play the third in a series of four monster Big Ten games when they host No. 4-ranked, and undefeated, Wisconsin Saturday night.
The players know they will have to at least match, if not exceed, the intensity they demonstrated in back-to-back wins against Ohio State and Michigan. Foaming at the mouth all week isn't the way.
"If you watched our practice during the week of Michigan, it was pretty much the same as it's been throughout the year," he said. "The emotion didn't come out until game day. That's how it was against Ohio State and I'm pretty sure it's going to be the same way against Wisconsin.
"I don't think there was a build-up. It was more of just a natural reaction to playing in that game."
Burning up a steady flow of nervous energy on a daily basis would have the Spartans worn out even before the 8 p.m. kickoff, Norman said.
"I see a step-up in this area from last year because Coach D has been putting an even bigger emphasis on controlling your emotions, staying focused and being even-keeled throughout the week," said Norman, "and bringing that other guy out when it matters, on game day."
No. 15 Michigan State has enough concerns in the form of the Badgers' massive offensive line, Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback Russell Wilson, and a defense that's allowing just 9.7 points per game.
Guarding against a letdown is the least of MSU's worries.
"For one thing, this team is real hungry," sophomore linebacker Denicos Allen said. "We got a little taste of the championship last year but it wasn't a complete taste because we had to share it with Wisconsin and Ohio State. This year, we want to know what it feels like to be outright champions.
"We want to be the first to go to that Big Ten championship game. We're hungry for it and will do whatever it takes to get there."
Motivation alone won't get the Spartans to where they want to go, and they nurture it with a desire to improve in every game. With two turnovers and 13 penalties for 124 yards against Michigan, there's a lot of room for growth as a football team.
"Sustaining emotion isn't a problem because our goal is to get better every game," Allen said. "When we practice, it's always to get better instead of just maintaining the level we're at. I think that's another thing that makes us a really good team."
Dantonio welcomed the bye before playing Michigan because it afforded the players a welcomed opportunity to decompress, relax mentally and heal physically. The last thing he wanted was for the Spartans to be chomping at the bit to play the Wolverines for two straight weeks, so he gave them pockets of time away from the daily grind.
Michigan State doesn't have that luxury before playing Wisconsin, but keeping the adrenaline level low until just the right time will be critical.
Regardless of what kind of after-effects MSU may be experiencing from beating Michigan for the fourth straight time, it has the added benefit of playing the Badgers under the lights. The last time these two teams met in Spartan Stadium after dark was in 2004, when the unranked Spartans upset No. 4 Wisconsin, 49-14.
"It's impossible not to get excited for a night game in East Lansing," Allen said. "You can just feel the energy coming from the stadium."
This isn't to suggest that MSU has never been flat or hasn't had to battle through letdowns under Dantonio. However, he has kept the spillover effect, which previously almost guaranteed Michigan State would follow up a huge win or numbing defeat with an inexplicable loss, to a minimum.
In 2007, Dantonio's first season, the Spartans could have folded after suffering a gut-wrenching loss to Michigan, but they responded with back-to-back must-wins over Purdue and Penn State. Ever since, MSU has generally been competitive in each of its defeats and Dantonio has rarely had to say his team wasn't ready to play.
 Denicos Allen waves a Spartan flag following the win over Michigan. "This team is real hungry," said Allen.  | |
"Coach D has instilled in us the attitude of don't ever be complacent and don't ever forget where we came from," said senior wide receiver B.J. Cunningham. "He's says that to us a lot. Even when we're winning games, he doesn't ever want us to forget what it used to be like.
"You can't ever come out soft. Just because you beat a good team last week, it doesn't mean the next team is going to come in and just lay down for you and give it up."
Dantonio's measured build-up makes summoning the requisite emotion easier.
"He tells us, `You don't have to be ready right now as long as you're ready on game day,' " Cunningham said. "As long as you can crank it up then, you'll be fine. If you save it up until then, it just comes naturally.
"He's been saying that consistently since I got here. If we can execute and stay poised, we can beat anybody. The key is to keep it up."
Dantonio doesn't profess to have some kind of magic touch, just a system that has produced positive results over time.
"We've got to get our players back (down to earth) and try, as much as we can, to eliminate distractions, which is difficult at times," he said. "Then we have to get our guys to be loose again. I don't think you can play tight.
"I think you've got to have fun, you've got to be excited and you've got to be emotional. But, you've got to keep the ability to execute, and you've got to have an attention to detail, and you can't blow things mentally on the football field. And you've got to obviously make plays."
While the players feed off Dantonio's consistency, he throws in just enough variety to keep things fresh.
"We do it a little bit differently every week," he said. "If we continue to do something the same way it becomes monotonous, and then that's where problems can occur. We'll try to think of something else this week."
