Michigan State’s upset of Michigan on Saturday night brought out a familiar voice from the rivalry, and Mark Dantonio wasted no time leaning into one of his signature lines.
Soon after the Spartans beat the Wolverines, Dantonio took to social media to celebrate the win and posted the famous message: “Walk THOSE Streets!
Go Green!!!”
That line traces back to one of the rivalry’s best-known Dantonio quotes, a phrase Kirk Cousins recently brought back into the conversation when he said the winner of the game would walk the streets in the state while the loser would walk the alleys. In other words, don’t be the one left on the wrong side of it.
Dantonio had plenty of reason to enjoy this one. Michigan State pulled off the upset against a 5-3 Michigan team on its own turf as a double-digit underdog, and the Spartans’ former coach was quick to salute the result.
The win also gave Michigan State a rare chance to claim bragging rights in the state again. The Spartans are now 3-6 after the victory and still unlikely to reach a bowl game, but for the moment they can say they own the streets, while Michigan is the one left with the alleys. For the first time in five years, Dantonio gets to use that line for the good guys.
The game itself had the feel of a throwback to the Dantonio years. Michigan State was the underdog, few expected much from the Spartans, and defense carried the night as they took home the Paul Bunyan Trophy. It looked a lot like the 2017 Michigan-Michigan State matchup, with offense hard to find and the game decided by a bruising, gritty defensive effort.
That was the formula during the Dantonio era, and it showed up again Saturday. The tougher team usually came out on top then, and the tougher team won again with the kind of edge that has been restored under Fitzgerald.
It may sound like an overreaction, but this was a huge win for the program. Beyond the rivalry punch it delivered, it should matter for the culture and for recruiting, too.
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The Spartans did not need an explosive offensive night to make the statement stand up, settling for five field goals and leaning on a defense that came up with interceptions to help swing the game. Fitzgerald pointed to the defensive game plan and the way his players kept responding to adversity, which made the win feel less like a one-off and more like a sign that Michigan State is starting to harden into something different. [Read more 🡒]