Spring practice commenced one month ago today for the MSU football team, beginning the first true phase of Spartans football under new head coach Mark Dantonio. Fourteen practices have come and gone, and only one remains: The Green-White intrasquad game.
Under John L. Smith, there were no roster divisions during spring scrimmages, it was simply offense vs. defense. Dantonio is taking a different route — a draft took place Wednesday, splitting the MSU roster in two. The temporary opponents, the "Green" team and the "White" team, face off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Admission is free.
"Everybody likes to be competitive," Dantonio said. "Everybody wants to play for something — it doesn't matter what. When you do that, you bring out the competitive nature of people, and you know it's just a change.
Competition was a theme throughout spring practice. The first two scrimmages determined which unit, offense or defense, wore green jerseys during practice.
The winning team from Saturday's scrimmage gets a steak dinner, while the losing team will dine on hot dogs and beans.
You can bet the players are motivated by those rewards — just ask junior defensive end Brandon Long, who will play for the Green team.
"There's gong to be a lot of big hits," Long said. "Be ready for a lot of smack-you-in-the-face hits. That's what the fans should be ready for."
Dividing the roster in two for a competitive intrasquad game can be risky because of the potential for injuries, but Dantonio and his staff have chosen to go ahead with the scrimmage and inject some energy into a program sorely in need of it.
"Not a lot of people have these games because you become so thin," Dantonio said.
"You lose one offensive lineman, and you might only have four left. We've got some wildcard players who can play on both sides, so we'll use those guys as well."
The White team has a clear advantage at quarterback. Brian Hoyer, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound junior, will take the snaps from center. Connor Dixon, a 6-foot-4, 191-pound redshirt freshman, is the quarterback for the Green team.
Hoyer completed 82-of-144 pass attempts for 863 yards and four touchdowns during the Spartans' 2006 season, and he started the season finale against Penn State.
Dixon has no game-time experience.
Dantonio said Hoyer will be wearing a red jersey during the game, forbidding defenders from coming in contact with him, but the other quarterbacks will be live.
"We're gonna be smart," Dantonio said, hoping to keep the most important cog on the MSU roster healthy.
Along with Dixon, several unfamiliar faces will see plenty of action because there are fewer bodies to fill out the depth chart on each side.
"Guys that were getting looked over are now actually the guys that are getting looked at," said redshirt freshman linebacker Jon Misch, a member of the Green team.
The scrimmage won't be a true indication of what MSU will look like in the fall.
The incoming freshman will change the face of the team.
But Dantonio said Spartans fans will have a fun afternoon.
"We're gonna add 21 players — at least, probably, 25 or so — to this football team in August, so this is just an opportunity for the fans to come out and spend a beautiful day at Michigan State," Dantonio said, "and also for our players to get a little bit of time in front of people."
He's looking for a good mix of offensive firepower and defensive stops.
"I'm not look for 48-38, and I'm not looking for 6-3," Dantonio said.
"Somewhere in between there will be great."
