Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio stands behind AD’s attendance complaints
Mark Dantonio had his athletic director’s back during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Michigan State AD Mark Hollis expressed “disappointment and embarrassment” about the large amount of fans – particularly students – who left the stadium early during the Spartans’ 27-22 win over Nebraska on Saturday night. Many of the fans left with the Spartans comfortably ahead on a cold, rainy night, but when the Huskers stormed back in the fourth quarter, there was a serious lack of crowd noise in Spartan Stadium.
“I support what Mark Hollis said. We are trying to develop a culture here,” Dantonio said. “When you don’t get what you want at the end of the game, you know, you have to at least let people know that that’s not what you want. You have to at least let people know.”
The eighth-year head coach said he was pleased with the primetime environment when the game began, but it faded as the night progressed.
“(It was) a great environment at the beginning of the game, really throughout,” Dantonio said. “And in the fourth quarter, it was a long football game. The game wasn’t over I think until 12:15 a.m. So you know, there’s a lot of things to do out there after 11:00 (p.m.) I guess. So we didn’t have them there at the end of the game. We needed them there.”
The Spartans have had a ton of success in the past two seasons under Dantonio. In fact, he pointed out on more than one occasion that his team has won 19 of its last 21 games. To continue establishing a winning culture – a culture that includes championships – Dantonio says everyone in the Michigan State community needs to be involved in the effort.
“We all want a championship,” Dantonio said. “We feed off our fans. Our players feed off our fans. They just do. And I think the fans probably feed off of what’s going on on the field. So when you look at that, if you want to change something, you’ve got to get involved. So to get involved, you at least have to ask and you have to say that you’re disappointed.
“As the game came down the stretch there was a big red roar a couple times. There was still a lot of people there, but the student section got a little sparse, which it does at a lot of places. It was a late game. But you want a night game, you want a primetime game, everybody wants that. There’s a price to pay and a sacrifice for those, too.”
On the subject of championships, after a wild weekend where four teams in the top ten lost, the picture for the first-ever College Football Playoff is wide open. Dantonio knows his team has a good shot to earn a spot, despite losing a game to Oregon earlier this season.
“If we do what we’re supposed to do or what we’re attempting to do and get in the Big Ten Conference (Championship Game) and win that game, then I think good things are possible,” Dantonio said. “I think we turn on a lot of TV sets, and let’s not be naïve. It’s about who is watching the game, too. And so you’ve got a quarter of the country watching a football game. They want to see a football team from this part of the country in that game.“
The Spartans, now 4-1, face Purdue team on the road Saturday. Purdue is coming off a road win over Illinois. Dantonio knows the Boilermakers are an improved team, so his team needs to be ready to play.
“They are more productive on offense when you look at their numbers now compared to their numbers last year. They seem to play up to their competition.”
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
