Nothing short of doctors denying his return could have prevented Dantonio from coaching in Saturday’s game against the in-state rival Wolverines (3:30, ABC).

“It’s Michigan week. I’m not going to miss Michigan week,” Dantonio said. “It’s one that makes this entire state very excited this entire week.”

Dantonio has won back-to-back games against U-M after losing his first matchup in 2007, and will try to make it 3-0 against U-M head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Dantonio suffered a heart attack following MSU’s 34-31 overtime victory against Notre Dame on Sept. 18. He watched MSU’s 45-7 win against Northern Colorado on TV the following week.

Dantonio attended last week’s press conference and was expected to be in the coaches’ box for the win against Wisconsin, but the blood clot that was discovered in his leg Thursday during a routine operation forced a different solution.

His return should be a lift for his team, which, in his absence, has followed his system under offensive coordinator Don Treadwell.

“It’s business as usual, as (Treadwell) said last weekend,” Dantonio said. “When you have that type of leadership at the staff level, it carries over to your players, then you start having your players lead. Our players did an outstanding job.”

Last week’s win marks just the second time MSU has defeated a ranked team under Dantonio. With Wisconsin being ranked No. 11 at the time, the win marks as the highest-ranked team Dantonio and his staff has defeated at MSU. The fact that the Spartans lost five games by eight points or fewer last season and have struggled to defeat highly-ranked opponents makes last week’s win a positive toward winning a conference championship.

“I can tell you last weekend was my best moment as a head football coach, as I sat there and watched that football game, saw how it ended, saw how our players played, how we hung in, kept playing,” Dantonio said.