And as Dantonio spoke of the rivalry and U-M head coach Brady Hoke, it was in glowing terms, acknowledging the second-year coach’s success in a variety of areas, notably in dealing with public frustrations.

“I think Michigan is certainly back,” Dantonio said during a press conference. “I have a great deal of respect for Brady Hoke. To be honest with you, I think Brady Hoke handles himself at times much better than I do. I have a great respect in how he handles his job and how he’s gone about his business there.”

It’s a decidedly different tone heading into a rivalry the Spartans have owned of late, defeating the Wolverines in each of the past four years.

Dantonio has gotten fiery in the past when speaking about the rivalry, but made a concerted effort to avoid that temptation Tuesday, crediting the media for his occasional outbursts with a wry smile.

“I always try to come up here and be who I am,” he said. “It’s you guys that stoke that fire. Nobody’s done that yet (today), so we’re good.”

MSU has never beaten U-M five times in a row, and Dantonio said creating a new standard is something he thinks about as part of a running tally of success that comes with college football rivalries.

“It hasn’t been done before, so I guess that’s something that you look at and you would savor later on in your life,” Dantonio said of a fifth consecutive win over U-M. “You keep track of those for the rest of your life. You just do. I think you do that regardless of where I have been in rival games. Regardless of what college I’ve been at, that particular game, you’ve always kept track of them. So we’ll keep track.”

Despite the attention he’s received for the way he’s dealt with the rivalry in the past, Dantonio said his responses have been an homage to the tradition that exists between two neighboring schools spanning multiple generations.

“For me, it’s important because we’ve made it important,” Dantonio said. “For me to say it’s not important would be to disrespect those who have played in this football game before. It would be (disrespectful) to the people who have been involved in this program when I was here before and the people prior to that.
“I’ve never made the rules here. These rules were established a long time ago. I’m just playing the game. I’m just involved in the rivalry. I’m just a small little player in that rivalry.”

To see a video from head coach Mark Dantonio’s press conference, click here.