Throughout the fourth quarter of Saturday’s MSU-Notre Dame game, a number of Spartans on the sideline were waving four fingers in the air.
The gesture represents No. 18 MSU’s emphasis on finishing football games.
“That’s just a symbol for it’s time for Michigan State to step up. It’s the fourth quarter, our quarter,” said junior linebacker Josh Thornhill. “My freshman year, there wasn’t a real big emphasis on the fourth quarter, but throughout last year and especially this year that’s where all the emphasis is, on finishing strong.”
The team has finished its games strongly so far, as evidenced by stalwart second-half play against Marshall and Missouri, and the come-from-behind Notre Dame defeat.
“The Spartans just learned how to win (last year) and it carried over into this season,” Thornhill said. “Hopefully we can carry it out to the rest of the season, but knowing how to win is big.”
Thornhill said a lot of credit goes to the in-shape team and more specifically, the aptly named Fourth Quarter Conditioning Program.
“It was named with the emphasis in mind that we’re going to win games in the fourth quarter, but basically it’s called that because it’s a tough program,” he said. “It’s not easy. You’ve got to make it through three quarters and still have enough left to finish the game strong in the fourth.”
Thornhill said the team’s focus on the fourth quarter came from head coach Bobby Williams, but mainly it came from strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie, who stressed his conditioning program of running and lifting weights in the heat of summer, whether players liked it or not.
“What works for Coach Mannie is what works for us,” he said. “He came to us and said this is what we’re going to do and we did it. We know he’ll get us ready so we all trust him.”
Senior guard Shaun Mason said the hard training is paying off.
“In the first two games, you could see them (the opposition) a little more tired than us,” he said. “Coach Mannie’s done a great job for us. That’s huge when we’re standing around and the other team’s going down on a knee in the fourth quarter, that’s a sign that we’re in shape; we’re ready to go.”
Suspended
Junior cornerback Tai Brown was suspended from practice this week and will not dress against Northwestern after “cheering and jeering” at Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie shortly after the game ended Saturday.
“Tai has written a letter of apology to Coach Davie. I’ve also written a letter of apology,” head coach Bobby Williams said. “Certainly that’s not the type of representation we want from our football team. I certainly felt bad that this came out of our program but hopefully we can learn from this experience and move on.”
Light up the Dortch
After missing the first two games with a sprained ankle, suffered in an Aug. 29 scrimmage, freshman tailback Tyrell Dortch played for the first time Saturday. Though he only ran twice for nine yards, Williams said he’s looking to put the speedster from Hoboken, N.J. to more use.
“I can’t wait to get him going,” he said.
Spartan Firsts
In addition to Dortch, sophomore wide receiver Marcus Waters made his first catch as a Spartan in the second quarter, a 17-yard snag. Freshman fullback Travis Wilson, who’s been used in third down situations, had his first career touchdown reception in the third quarter.
