With Spartan football quickly approaching on the horizon, the team has been working hard in the offseason to improve their skills and grow together as a team. With their first official public scrimmage approaching less then a month away, the team is ready to show up and show out for their fellow Spartan fans.
Since earning the title of Big Ten Champions back in their 2015 season, the Spartans have had a streaky record since then. In 2016, their overall record was 3-9. In 2017, it was 10-3 and last season the Spartans had an overall record of 7-6. Now, fans wonder what to expect in this upcoming season of Big Ten football.
“Obviously records are important, wins are important,” senior quarterback Brian Lewerke said. “We just focus on trying to go out and have a winning day and practice every day and try to hope that translates onto gameday come fall.”
Coach Mark Dantonio was very pleased with how the team’s first official private scrimmage went on Tuesday, stating that they had explosive plays on the field from the offensive line as well as the quarterbacks. He also mentioned that the defensemen were trying out some different things.
“I thought the results of it today were positive,” Dantonio said. “Offense won the scrimmage. ... I thought Elijah Collins looked good. He made a couple of plays out there, big plays. So that was good to see a couple guys, wide receivers, make plays.”
With the coaching staff being shuffled around, the atmosphere of the team hasn’t changed a bit according to junior wide receiver Cody White. He feels that the coaching staff still values the same things they do and wants to see the team succeed.
“I wouldn’t say it’s been a big adjustment,” White said. “We’re still kind of doing the same type of stuff and just trying to execute a little better than we did last year. ... We all know that we haven’t been where we wanted to be, so we wanted to change it up.”
With five starters leaving the team, Dantonio and the other players are eager to see what the newcomers can bring to the team. Spartan football is still composed of returning members, however.
“It always helps when you have older guys,” Dantonio said. “They have been there a little bit, they’ve sort of been in the thick of it whether they had success or had some adversity. In both cases, I think they were able to move forward a little faster.”
Putting their past seasons behind them, the team is looking forward to see what they can accomplish come the fall.
“(The message is to) just move on from last season,” Lewerke said. “We’ve already learned from it. We watched the film and have already gone over it enough. I think it’s time to start a new season and that’s what spring ball does for us.”
The team hopes to redeem themselves after their past records in their upcoming season. Spartan football’s first public scrimmage will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 in Spartan Stadium.
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