Harbaugh: Dantonio Has Done One Of The Best Coaching Jobs In History
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Jim Harbaugh has said the same old things ahead of Michigan's clash with rival Michigan State this coming Saturday in East Lansing.
It's a big game. It's a championship game. And the Wolverines will prepare accordingly.
"I don't have much more to say about it than that," Harbaugh said during his Monday afternoon press conference. "That says it all."
But when he was asked about Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio, Harbaugh broke from routine.
"He's done a great job. One of the best college football coaching jobs in the history of the game. It's been at the highest level," Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh and Dantonio have known each other for a long time, and Harbaugh was likely speaking out of respect for a friendship more than anything else. Still, the numbers suggest he's got a point.
Dantonio took over at Michigan State in 2007. The Spartans had won four games in 2006 and had compiled a record of 14-21 in the three seasons prior to his arrival. They hadn't played in a bowl game in four years.
Dantonio led them to a 7-6 season in his first year at the helm, culminating in a trip to the Champs Sports Bowl, and the Spartans have hardly looked back since. Entering this season, Michigan State was 87-33 under Dantonio with three Big Ten championships and nine consecutive bowl-game appearances.
Since then, of course, things have taken a drastic turn.
The Spartans are 2-5 in 2016 and enter next weekend's tilt versus No. 2 Michigan on a five-game losing streak. The Wolverines are currently listed as 21-point favorites.
Harbaugh, like many of his players, is expecting a difficult task all the same.
"It doesn't matter what's happened before this week, for us or for our opponent. It never does," he said. "It matters what happens on the game day. We know the task in front of us. We know the challenge. It's up to us to go out there and prepare for that game so we can go out there and be confident, execute and have a chance to be successful.
"They're a very good football team. We know we'll be tough to beat and we know they'll be tough to beat."
Asked if Michigan will prepare any differently given Dantonio's flair for trick plays, Harbaugh once again tipped his cap.
"He's one of the best," he said. "I've known him for years. You have to make your preparations accordingly."