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Michigan State football eons away from where it was in 2017

EAST LANSING — There were cheerleaders. And part of a marching band. And fans. If only a few thousand of them. Hey, it was cold, and Michigan State's football team was playing …

… itself?

An existential conundrum, certainly.

Or, if you prefer, a spring football game. Though nothing about Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium felt like spring.

Except for the season's promise of renewal.

In that sense, the game felt eons away from where this program was a year ago. When Mark Dantonio and his team had lost nine games the year before.