In the eyes of Spartan fans, Saturday’s win over Purdue was huge. But for head coach Bobby Williams, it was even bigger.
At his Monday press conference, Williams said MSU’s 30-10 win over the Boilermakers was a win that should benefit the program in the future since the game was played on national television and in front of prospective recruits.
“Winning that game really set the stage for the future of this program,” he said. “It was huge from a recruiting standpoint. We had a lot of prospects at the game, a lot of guys that we were recruiting were watching the game and I think it was key for us to come out and show that we were moving forward with this program.”
Bent on winning, not bowling
Although a victory Saturday at Penn State would qualify MSU for a bowl bid, Williams said he isn’t so quick to look ahead to the postseason over a 4-7 Nittany Lions squad.
“Our focus right now is getting this team ready to play at Penn State,” he said. “Getting this team ready to go play a tough road game because we haven’t won in the Big Ten on the road.”
Still, bowl games are nice
Williams spoke of the advantages playing in a postseason bowl game brings to a football program.
“It’s a chance to get extra practices for a lot of the young players, a chance to get your program more exposure - to be in the limelight of playing in a bowl game - and just being able to spend the holiday season somewhere,” he said. “All those things are pluses and gives you something to build on in the future.”
What do you mean “Happy” Valley?
MSU has played at Penn State three times since the Nittany Lions began Big Ten play in 1993. Every time the Spartans have played there, they’ve had to go home with a loss.
Williams described the most recent, a 51-28 drubbing in 1998, “a disaster.”
“Since I’ve been here, we haven’t had much success at State College,” Williams said. “Every year we’ve been there, Penn State is always in the top tier of the country. They’ve had very good football teams and good players and it’s always been a tough atmosphere for us to focus.”
