Mike Hart's "Little Brother" dig, Mark Dantonio's response made UM-MSU rivalry nastier and better
When Mark Dantonio took over as the head football coach at Michigan State in 2007, the Spartans had lost nine out of their previous 11 meetings with in-state rival Michigan, including five in a row.
After a 28-24 loss to the Wolverines in 2007, Dantonio's first game against "the school down the road", U-M running back Mike Hart uttered the infamous quote, "sometimes you get your little brother excited when you're playing basketball and stuff, let them get the lead, and then you just come back and take it back."
"Do you think of Michigan State as your little brother?" Hart was asked.
"Yup," he replied, with a grin and a laugh that is burned into the memories of Michigan State fans and alumni alike.
Perhaps the reason Hart's comment cut so deep was that the senior had every right to say what he said. Hart had just capped a 4-0 career mark against the Spartans, and Michigan had extended its winning streak to six in a row over MSU. The comment also stung a bit more due to the way Michigan State lost that game, blowing a 10-point lead in the final seven minutes.
The string of six consecutive defeats at the hands of the Wolverines was the longest losing streak in the rivalry for MSU since dropping eight consecutive games to Michigan from 1970 to 1977.
And yet, as belittling as Hart comment was, it ultimately rallied the Spartans and sparked the fire that Dantonio needed to turn Michigan State's program around.
"This game is an important game," Dantonio said in response to Hart's comment. "So, if they want to mock us all how they want to mock us — I'm telling them, it's not over. So, they can print that crap all they want all over their locker room. It's not over, and it will never be over here. It's just starting.
"Let's just remember, pride comes before the fall."
More prophetic words were never spoken.
Over the next seven years, "little brother" grew up and started to kick big brother's hind end. Michigan State dominated the rivalry during this stretch, going 6-1 against the Wolverines from 2008 to 2014. The Spartans beat Michigan by an average margin of 16.4 points per game in those six victories, showcasing its physical dominance over "big brother".
As enjoyable of a stretch as that was for the Spartan faithful, the crescendo of Michigan State's run of success in this series came in 2015. U-M had hired Jim Harbaugh, who was immediately anointed "the savior of Michigan football". The Wolverines led for most of that game in 2015, but we all remember how it ended.
In a series that has produced fantastic individual performances and numerous mind-blowing plays from players on both sides, "Trouble With The Snap" stands alone as the most memorable. There could not have been a more devastating way for Michigan to lose in Harbaugh's first game in the rivalry, nor a more exhilarating and self-satisfying way for Michigan State to win.
If you believe in karma, "Trouble With The Snap" was the perfect way for MSU to cap an eight-year run of dominance immediately following Hart's "little brother" comment.
Since then, the rivalry has broke even — the Spartans and the Wolverines have split the last six meetings. Harbaugh and Michigan got a revenge of sorts of their own in 2019, when the Wolverines unceremoniously dismissed Dantonio from the rivalry with a 44-10 smack-down in Ann Arbor.
Dantonio never attempted to hide his disdain for the program "down the road". After all, the Spartans' former head man already had some baked-in hatred for Michigan when he was hired in 2007. Dantonio spent six seasons in East Lansing as a defensive backs coach from 1995 to 2000, before moving on to become the defensive coordinator at Ohio State from 2001 to 2003.
I think it's more than fair to say that Dantonio and Harbaugh didn't like each other much at all either. Never was that more apparent in 2018, after the infamous exchange between former Wolverine linebacker Devin Bush and Michigan State's midfield Spartan logo.
Given Dantonio's long history of being on the opposite sideline across from the Wolverines, as well as the success he enjoyed against Michigan as a head coach, the 34-point loss in 2019 was a tough pill to swallow for the man who is arguably the best coach in Michigan State's history.
Yet, while Dantonio once lifted up the Spartan program when it needed it most, the program has returned the favor during these last two seasons, thanks in no small part to new head coach Mel Tucker.
After consecutive wins for the Wolverines in 2018 and 2019, Michigan State has punched back with two straight in 2020 and 2021. In Tucker's first season, he delivered a victory in the Big House as a 21.5-point underdog, and his rebuild in East Lansing was sparked as a result.
Then, a year ago, No. 6 Michigan traveled to No. 8 Michigan State in the series' first game between unbeaten, Top 10 opponents since 1964. The Wolverines led by 16 midway through the third quarter, but Spartan tailback Kenneth Walker III left his mark on the rivalry with five rushing touchdowns and leading MSU back for a 37-33 victory.
The 2022 rendition of the "Battle for Paul Bunyan" doesn't have nearly the national hype or attention that game got a year ago. Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) is in the hunt for a conference title and College Football Playoff berth, but Michigan State (3-4, 1-3) has taken a significant step following last season's 11-2 finish.
However, this game is still vastly important to the people who reside in the great state of Michigan — the ones who have grown up watching it, and the ones who have played in it.
In an era in which conference realignment has destroyed several regional rivalries, including those of the in-state variety — I'm looking at you Texas-Texas A&M, and soon Oklahoma-Oklahoma State — fans of both Michigan and Michigan State should cherish the fact that this rivalry has stood the test of time and realignment. The Spartan and Wolverine faithful are blessed to be able to continually enjoy this annual, fall tradition.
Yes, the fanbases and programs have their spats — often. Harsh words and insults get thrown across the aisle. There are fights, both verbal and physical, at times throughout the calendar year. But, at the end of the day, Michiganders really are just like a family — albeit a highly dysfunctional one — and this is what brothers (and sisters) do.
"Big Brother" may hold a special disdain for their cousins in Columbus, but "little brother" enjoys nothing more than to spoil its older siblings plans and aspirations.
On Saturday, Michigan State will get another shot to do just that.
