Michigan State beat the tar out of Michigan yesterday (although Michigan got their first touchdown against their little brother since 2011), and a late score by Michigan State raised some eyebrows.
It turns out, Dantonio hit his breaking point before the game even started:
"As far as the score at the end, it just felt like we needed to put a stake in ‘em at that point,” Dantonio said. "To throw the stake down in our backyard out here and coming out there like they're all that, it got shoved in the last minute and a half and we were not going to pull off of that. Wasn't going to line up and kick a field goal, but if our guys could get it in (the end zone), we were going to get it in."
Yes, this was a real thing that happened, and Michigan is sorry it happened. From a release from Brady Hoke:
“I want to publicly apologize to Coach Dantonio as well as the players and supporters of Michigan State for our act of poor sportsmanship displayed pre-game yesterday. I spoke with Mark earlier today and expressed to him that we meant no disrespect to his team. During our regular Friday night team meeting, one of the topics presented to motivate our team was a history lesson addressing commitment and teamwork in a tough environment. A tent stake was presented to the team as a symbol of this concept. The stake was brought into our locker room as a visual reminder, and one of our team leaders chose to take it out on the field. As the leader of our football program, I take full responsibility for the actions of our team. We believe in displaying a high level of respect at the University of Michigan and unfortunately that was not reflected by this action prior to kickoff.”
Still no word on if Hoke will apologize for such an inept offensive display after two weeks to prepare.
