“I took off my helmet and (a gash) was there. I got four (stitches).”

Dell said he and the rest of his teammates have had the same mentality for the past 10 spring practices, especially when it comes down to starting spots.

“It’s pound, pound, pound and just play hard,” said the Farmington Hills native, who racked up 220 receiving yards in his first season and will be considered for a starting wide out position. “The (No. 1) spot is definitely open, but us collectively as a receiver corps are just going day in and day out and performing well. It’s not about the individual, not even this early.”

And when MSU head coach Mark Dantonio splits up his entire team into two squads — one green and one white — for the official spring game April 19, he doesn’t want one team crushing the other.

Instead, he seeks the collective whole to get more consistent in preparation for the team’s goal, the season opener against California.

“We gotta choose ‘em up and play,” Dantonio said. “We got 45-plus guys out here, so we can play. Sometimes it might not be pretty all the time, there’s gonna be mistakes made but we got guys who can play. We’ll have a regular game situation. I think guys are working — the attitude has been good.”

Ray of inspiration

First it was cancer and now it’s a semester-ending infection.

Prospect Arthur Ray, a future offensive line player for Dantonio, withdrew from his spring classes after suffering a major setback physically — doctors found an infection on a bone in his leg.

After having a cancerous tumor surgically removed from his leg July 30, Ray finds himself in another predicament after his previous 14-hour surgery. The good news, however, is that Ray remains cancer-free.

Now, doctors must go back into his leg, take out what they originally implanted and put a cast on it for six weeks, which will need IV treatment three times a day.

And after all that, there’s more surgery needed.

“They found a bacteria on the bone, so they had to go in and make sure that it is all taken care of before they can continue on with the rest,” Dantonio said. “He’ll be back to school here in the fall. Then he’s going to have to rehab — so he has a long haul ahead of him to play football here, but he’s got a dream and he’s got a vision.”

Dantonio said it will be about a year before Ray plays football again, but when he returns, he’ll be more than just someone to pray for.

“I talk to him all the time,” he said.

“He sees light a little bit differently than we all do, through a different lens right now. He’ll be a tremendous inspiration to our football team when he’s able to play.”

Soon, a fund will be created for anyone to contribute in assisting Ray’s family with hospital bills.

Shoes to fill

Tight ends and tackles coach Mark Staten isn’t afraid to admit that the loss of tight ends Kellen Davis and Eric Andino isn’t easy.

After all, the two combined for 557 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

But freshman tight end Charlie Gantt has written his prescription to feel better.

“(He) has really done a great job improving his blocking,” Staten said. “Coach (Dantonio) always says get 2 percent better every day, so we take that to heart and that’s what we’re trying to do at that position. (Gantt) is stepping into the (No. 1) position. He still has some stuff to do reading his own coverages … he’s really stepped up.”

And thanks to the bowl season, something MSU isn’t used to, guys like Gantt were given an opportunity for more reps — leading to more experience and more maturity.

“Kellen and Eric taught me a lot last year, without them I don’t know if I’d be here right now,” Gantt said.

“They just took me under their wing and taught me blocking technique, the schemes and everything. That’s what Michigan State football is all about — Big Ten football. You gotta handle the pressure.”