At the podium after the game, head coach Mark Dantonio showed his displeasure by offering one word answers to reporters’ questions followed by a phrase that has become a staple on T-shirts and ESPN College GameDay signs everywhere.

“Next question.”

Two years and one Rose Bowl championship later, the two teams meet again in similar situations as last time. MSU is coming off a banner year while EMU continues their seemingly eternal rebuilding process with another new coach.

Despite all this, Mark Dantonio had one message for his players this week — do not overlook anyone.

Bad Memories

The 2012 near-loss was on the mind of Mark Dantonio as he addressed the media Tuesday in a newly renovated media center that is a far cry from where he delivered his famous “next question” press conference.

“In 2012 we were down 7-6 at the half. We were I think 30-point favorites,” he said. “Our guys need to come ready to play.”

Players who were on the team in 2012 had different answers regarding that infamous game and how prominent it was in their thoughts during the week of practice.

“It’s a completely different program, but in the back of our head, we know we can’t come out flat,” senior linebacker Taiwan Jones said. “We can’t overlook Eastern, we need to come out and play Michigan State football.”

Junior safety R.J. Williamson was also on the team that almost lost to EMU. He said among the players and coaches, the game from that season has been discussed.

“Oh yeah, it’s been brought up,” he said. “You can’t take anything lightly, you have to respect your opponent and go out there and play to your best ability because any team can be beaten at any time.”

Senior guard Travis Jackson has seen bowl wins and close losses. He’s seen the program transform from a 7-6 team to a Rose Bowl victor and said although the program is different, that game is in the back of his mind.

“It’s definitely something you look back on, but it’s a completely different football team,” he said. “It just proves that you can’t overlook anyone.”

Previewing Eastern

The 2014 version of the Eagles looks similar to that of the past few seasons. They hired Chris Creighton in December, who had success at FCS Drake before coming to Ypsilanti. The Eagles are 1-2 this season, with losses to Florida and Old Dominion and a win against Morgan State.

“Our guys believe in each other and are playing hard,” Creighton said. “(MSU has) a great program, but my concern is less with our opponent and more with getting our layers right.”

EMU has played three different quarterbacks with varying degrees of success. Creighton would not comment on who the starter will be.

“We as a program need to be focused less on who the starter is going to be and more on getting more out of that position,” he said.

As a unit, Eagle quarterbacks are averaging only 72 yards a game this season.

EMU’s defense gives Travis Jackson a cause for concern. He said the Eagles run a 3-4 defense and at times will use their linebackers to come down and play on the line to create a hybrid 4-3 defense.

“Their guys are athletic, they move around a lot up front,” he said. “The key for us is keeping our footwork. They definitely have talent on defense.”

Senior defensive end Marcus Rush said EMU doesn’t do a lot of different things offensively.

“They don’t do anything crazy,” he said. “We’re not going to take anyone for granted, that’s for sure. We know that if we come out and play hard every down, we should be able to come out with a win.”

For EMU, MSU is just another one of the blue-chip opponents on their roster. EMU has already lost to Florida, 65-0, in Gainesville, Fla.

“These games are scheduled years in advance,” Creighton said. “People look at our schedule they say ‘Wow, that’s tough,’ but everyone plays a tough schedule. We want to get better — things get exposed when you lose.”

Creighton emphasized however, that they were not planning on going to Spartan Stadium to be anyone’s sacrificial lamb.

“I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to get our teeth kicked in,” he said. “We are going to try to win the game.”

Tested Depth

MSU is as high as a 46-point favorite against EMU in some betting circles. Even though EMU played a tough game against MSU in 2012, the possibility of young players getting in the game is real for MSU this week.

Mark Dantonio said he wants to secure a win before he thinks about testing his depth.

“We are going to try to win the football game. End of story on that,” he said. “After that is accomplished — in any game — after that is accomplished we’re going to try to get our younger players playing and develop experience and depth on this football team.”

MSU is ranked No. 11 overall and is on the outside looking in for the inaugural College Football Playoff and needs all the help they can get. Dantonio said despite this, MSU will not run up the score for the sake of style points.

“I’m not interested in taking a time-out out before the end of the game to get another seven points,” he said. “I’m interested in playing the game the way it’s suppose to be played.”

In a season of high expectations and important games, Dantonio wanted to make one point very clear to his players — every game counts as one.

“It’s 0-0 right now, so my main focus is they all count one,” he said. “We need to be prepared to play a football game on Saturday afternoon.”