Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio: Spartans 'will come ready to play' at Holiday Bowl
Washington State Mike Leach described the Holiday Bowl to reporters Wednesday as “maybe the greatest bowl I’ve ever been to” before gushing about San Diego. Sure, he was saying it to folks from America’s Finest City, but it also happens to be his wife’s hometown.
“When we got married, I thought I was guaranteed a lot of trips to San Diego. Then her parents moved to Utah,” Leach said. “I got gypped out of that a little bit. But anyway, it's good to be back.”
Mark Dantonio spoke next. He reminded those at Wednesday’s news conference it is Michigan State’s first trip to the game. Then, Dantonio was asked if he, like Leach, had any ties to the area.
“Not that you should know about,” he quipped.
Zinger board: Dantonio 1, Leach 0.
As for the game between No. 19 MSU and his 21st-ranked Cougars, Leach expects there to be much more scoring when they meet in the 40th Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (9 p.m. ET/Fox Sports 1).
“You got kind of contrasts styles,” Leach said. “They're big and strong and physical. We're trying to maneuver some stuff around. I think it's a good matchup. I think it will be fun to watch.”
The Holiday Bowl is typically known for its shootouts, though Washington State lost a grinder there last year to Minnesota, 17-12. It was just the fifth time in Holiday Bowl history the two teams both scored fewer than 20 points and tied for the third-lowest combined total points.
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The Cougars (9-3) this season are averaging 31.4 points and 374.8 passing yards per game. Leach called Washington State “a pretty complete team” this season.
“We had contributions pretty consistently throughout the season on all three sides of the ball – special teams, offense and defense,” he said. “Of the teams that I've coached, as far as all three sides of the ball contributing, not having a real weak spot, I felt like this was one of my more balanced teams.”
The Spartans (9-3) did not make a bowl last season for the only time in Dantonio’s 11 seasons. They average just 23.1 points but are coming off a season-high against Rutgers in a 40-7 win to close out the regular season on Nov. 25.
“Our guys will be ready to play. I think we're focused on that,” Dantonio said. “We had a tough year last year. Our thought process was to make it back and change things back to the way they had been. We've always come ready to play. That's the one thing that I think we pride ourselves in, that we will come ready to play.”
Dantonio praised Leach’s “Air Raid” offense – no huddles, a fast tempo, a lot of passing out of spread formations – as a forerunner of what many teams have worked into their own systems in recent years.
He stopped short of projecting a high-scoring contest, though.
“How do I see it playing out? Who knows. I don't know,” Dantonio said. “We sort of had the same types of scenarios. We've outscored some people and had some other games that have been a little bit tight. We've gone back and forth as well.
“But we're going to find out.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!