Is Mark Dantonio Lacking a Signature Win?

This weekend I met a group of Spartan fans that I had not previously met. As often happens, the conversation turned to Spartan sports. One gentleman said to

This weekend I met a group of Spartan fans that I had not previously met. As often happens, the conversation turned to Spartan sports. One gentleman said to me, “Why can’t Coach Dantonio get a signature win?” No sooner had the man finished that question when a group of three others echoed the same sentiment.

I was shocked. I have been told that some in the media have said that (I have not heard anyone), but it shocked me to hear it from rank and file fans. I asked them how they defined a signature win. The general consensus of the small group was, “A win that he wasn’t supposed to get.”

I pointed out that under Dantonio there have been some heartache losses, but other than CMU last year he has done an exceptional job of exercising the demons of previous staffs by winning the games he was supposed to win.

That has been a huge improvement. They acquiesced on that point and admitted it was a major improvement, but they kept coming back to winning something unexpected. “Why can’t we win a bowl?”

Again, I went back to the first two seasons and how Spartan football faced a Georgia team that was number one in the nation until being smitten by injury. Those same injuries were healed in time for a bowl game with MSU. How about facing a Boston college team that was simply better than the Spartans? Last year they couldn’t have picked a worse team to match up against in Texas Tech. The Spartans secondary was horrendous and they were decimated by suspensions. No excuse. They underachieved and paid the price.

I understand that people are craving for Spartan football to get a win over a number one team in the nation. Those wins will come. For the time being, the Spartan Nation needs to see how far the program has come.

I asked the gentleman I met if they didn’t see back-to-back wins against archrival Michigan as a statement? “OK I give you that. I just want more than that. We also caught them at the worst they have been in decades.” The sentiments of these fans run far and wide across the Spartan Nation. I am thrilled that Spartan fans that have been faithful and frankly, abused by the program they love for years have those expectations back.

When Mark Dantonio arrived fans simply wanted a bowl. Now after three in a row, they want more. I agree that a six-win season or less would be a step back. That won’t happen in 2010. It is easy to be a critic. It isn't easy to step back and be analytical.

Spartan fans are the best. They are loyal and when the program ignored them and took them for granted, they stayed faithful. What Spartan fans need to remember is that a signature win is two in a row against Michigan, three bowls in row, a recruiting base that has been rebuilt...All of them are signature accomplishments.

I understand the expectations, but I also think you can’t make Mark Dantonio or expect Mark Dantonio to fix forty years of struggles in three seasons. A signature win? Maybe not by the fans I met this weekend’s standards, but he has done a textbook job of rebuilding. That is a lot more important. The fans I met are great people that love Spartan football. They just need to put the struggles of the program into perspective, to see how far they have come.