MSU senior quarterback Damon Dowdell is getting yet another chance to prove to his team, MSU fans and mostly himself that he can win football games as the Spartans' starting quarterback.

When asked to sum up his career to this point, Dowdell said that it has been up and down.

"Fact is, I need to get some wins and I know that," he said. "Saturday I'm going to go out there and play my heart out, and leave it all out there on the field."

Up until the Thursday before the Michigan game, head coach John L. Smith had redshirt freshman Stephen Reaves as the backup to sophomore Drew Stanton. Then, it changed and Dowdell was the backup and came into the U-M game when Stanton was injured.

So, why the sudden change?

Smith says it's because Dowdell can run the ball, but also because of the situation of playing at the "Big House" last Saturday.

"That's why I say Damon is the guy," Smith said. "He fits the entire mold of the offense right now and how it's developed, better than Stephen; so we have to do less tweaking of the offense with him than with Stephen."

The situation Dowdell finds himself in Saturday is starting quarterback for MSU. It's a position and role he has been in before and always thought he'd be in, but said that things just never worked out for him to stay the starter.

Saturday will be Dowdell's eighth start at MSU in four years - he is 1-6 as a starter. However, it might be the best situation he has ever been placed in as a starter.

In 2001, Dowdell started his first game at Purdue and threw 45 passes, while former MSU quarterback Jeff Smoker sat out with an injured left shoulder. In 2002, he replaced Smoker again when the now St. Louis Rams quarterback revealed he was having substance-abuse problems. In five starts to end the season, he was 1-4.

In 2003, Dowdell came into the game for Smoker yet again, when the Spartans were playing Louisiana Tech. They lost the lead and fell to the Bulldogs. He only saw action in one other game the rest of the season.

Then, the beginning of this season, Dowdell found himself starting the season opener as Stanton was out with a knee injury. A 19-14 loss to Rutgers cost Dowdell the starting job against Central Michigan and Notre Dame and only now has he resurfaced on the field.

"It was pretty difficult (giving up the starting job at the beginning of the season), but all the coaches preach that this is a team deal and you have to learn your role and deal with it," he said.

Dowdell has dealt with everything extremely well, he says, by keeping his mouth shut in practice and focusing on other things.

"I was just making sure my school work was done and focusing in on that a little bit harder," Dowdell said. "Just being a team player and keeping my mouth shut."

It has been Dowdell's work in the classroom which has been little talked about, after academic issues in the spring. A fifth-year senior, he is now on pace to graduate in December with a degree in criminal justice.

"I want to work with troubled youth and let them know there is other stuff out there they can have fun with, other than violence," Dowdell said. "From where I'm from, it's pretty tough and I have to let them know, there's a way out."

A Detroit-native, Dowdell said he doesn't know where he'd be right now if it weren't for football. That being said, he's more proud of his accomplishments off the field than the accomplishments on the field.

"It's pretty tough coming from the football field into the classroom," Dowdell said. "To be in there with your peers and have the paper right next to you, or on the desk and your name might be on it, saying something negative - it can be rough.

"You just have to put that aside and focus on your education."

This is not the first time Dowdell has had to put something aside and focus on his education and football. In 2001, when high school teammate and MSU tight end Eric Knott arrived on campus, he was greeted by protesters due to a legal issue - Dowdell was also involved in the case. They were protesting the fact that both players were being allowed to attend the university on a football scholarship after their legal situation back in Detroit.

"A lot of guys would have been out of here or would've transferred or did something different," senior safety and captain Jason Harmon said. "I tip my hat to him, he's been patient, he's been sticking around."

Dowdell fought through those times despite having feelings of leaving school, in large part to his friend and teammate Knott, who helped keep him positive.

"(Knott) kept me positive a lot of the times, when things weren't as good as I thought they would be," Dowdell said. "It was pretty difficult as an individual, period. I think it was important for us to stick together and weather the thing out.

"I thought about transferring, I thought about stopping playing football and playing basketball - a lot of things."

With his career winding down, Dowdell's thoughts of transferring and graduating can be put to rest and he'll end his career at MSU, where he says he always wanted to end it. Now, he can focus on what he came here to do on the field - win games.

"(Losing's) real old, because I have statistics, but at the end of the day it's all about the win-loss column," Dowdell said. "I just need to get some Ws."

If Dowdell can get a win Saturday, it will be his first at Spartan Stadium - his other win came at Memorial Stadium (Indiana) two years ago. Then, after talking about how grateful he is to have another chance, it might be fans talking about how grateful they are to have Dowdell at quarterback and a chance to still make a bowl game.