Michigan State's Mark Dantonio 'not surprised' by social media uproar after Harbaugh tweet
EAST LANSING – The question was every bit as inevitable as the one Mark Dantonio fielded a week earlier when his team found out it was headed to the Holiday Bowl.
What did Michigan State’s coach think about the social media response to Jim Harbaugh’s tweet and Dantonio’s view on being bypassed by Michigan for a spot in the Outback Bowl?
“In this day and age?” Dantonio said Sunday after the Spartans’ team banquet at Kellogg Center. “I’m not surprised.”
Dantonio clarified his comment was not specifically about Harbaugh with a tweet Sunday night: “TO BE CLEAR, my answer tonight was to a question about fan’s recent tweets in general, and not any particular one.”
No. 19 MSU faces No. 21 Washington State on Dec. 28 in San Diego (9 p.m./Fox Sports 1). The Wolverines face South Carolina in a game between two unranked teams at the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Florida (noon/ESPN2).
“Michigan State is never going to go away,” Dantonio said Sunday. “They’re always going to be here, regardless of who is coaching here. And it is what it is.”
A week earlier, a reporter asked Dantonio about what his message would be to the fans’ and his players’ reaction to the perceived “slight” of the 8-4 Wolverines being chosen for the Outback Bowl over the 9-3 Spartans. MSU defeated U-M, 14-10, on Oct. 7 in Ann Arbor. The Spartans also are ranked No. 16 in the last College Football Playoff rankings, while the Wolverines have been unranked since Nov. 18.
“Well, I just look at it as the opportunity to play in the Holiday Bowl right now,” Dantonio said. “You know, the records are what they are. I’ll just continue to concentrate on beating Michigan. And things will sort of sort out.”
That apparently bothered Harbaugh, who a day later tweeted: “Saw Coach D comments on continuing to ‘focus’ on how ‘he’ can beat Michigan. Congrats on turning around a 3-9 team, plagued with off field issues. Good for (Big Ten) to have him back.”
Dantonio responded on Twitter about two hours later last Monday: “For all Spartans, ‘it's not over, it'll never be over, it's just getting started,' #SpartansWill.” That was what he said after losing to Michigan during his debut season in 2007.
Harbaugh on Thursday explained his tweet to CBS Tampa at an Outback Bowl event by saying it was “healthy” for the rivalry.
“I didn't understand how he dragged us into his frustration about what bowl game he went to,” Harbaugh said. “I'd just prefer he didn't talk about us.”
MSU and U-M will face each other Oct. 20, 2018 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
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Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!