MSU head coach Mark Dantonio prepares the team to enter Kinnick Stadium after halftime on Oct. 27 in Iowa City, Iowa.
It’s been one week since MSU head coach Mark Dantonio made what some people have termed disparaging comments directed at the Michigan football team during his Monday press conference. When told his remarks garnered national attention, Dantonio’s attention was caught.
“National?” Dantonio asked for clarification.
“Yeah, blogs,” Detroit Free Press reporter Shannon Shelton replied.
“That’s great,” Dantonio said, smiling but trying to suppress laughter.
Dantonio didn’t want to harp on the past.
Since those comments, MSU beat Purdue and achieved bowl eligibility.
Still, though, it seemed Dantonio hadn’t completely forgotten about U-M.
“I’ve tried not to look back,” Dantonio said of his press conference last week. “I’ve tried to look forward. I never even asked how our players felt about it.
“I am who I am sometimes, I guess.”
Man of few words
Senior offensive lineman Pete Clifford is the quietest of the Spartans’ four senior captains.
But, just like the other three captains — running back Jehuu Caulcrick, linebacker Kaleb Thornhill and free safety Travis Key — and this year’s team, Clifford has proven critics wrong.
“He’s a self-made guy,” Dantonio said. “He’s a tough guy. He really learned his trade — a guy who has really probably superseded all visions of him as a player. He’s been an outstanding player for us.”
While Brian Hoyer noted that Clifford has worked “tremendously hard” to improve his on-field play, the junior quarterback jokingly indicated Clifford hasn’t put as much time into bettering his orating skills.
“He’s funny because he doesn’t have much to say. He has a note card up there every time he has to talk. He’ll get up there and he looks at his card and he’ll say, ‘Uh, that pretty much said it all. I really don’t have much to say,’” Hoyer said, impersonating Clifford’s Boston accent.
Although Clifford is usually short on words, he might have a few for Hoyer after his imitation.
“He gets pissed,” Hoyer laughed.
Name game
Defensive players consistently look to “G Ball” for motivation on the field.
Who exactly is “G Ball,” though?
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The real “G Ball” is senior defensive end Ervin Baldwin’s father, Ervin Sr., who took the nickname in high school because his friends said he was a “great basketball player.” Baldwin, who shares the same name as his father, also inherited the nickname.
But Baldwin is puzzled about why the nickname stuck with him — especially the “G” part.
“I really don’t know where the ‘G’ comes from,” the Georgia native said.
“I don’t have a ‘G’ in my name at all. Most people say Georgia, so I’m going to roll with Georgia.”
