For the longest time, I defended Mark Dantonio. When the Spartans went 7-6 in 2018 following a 10-3 season in 2017, I was all on board for giving him a chance to prove it was a fluke. When Michigan State lost three games in a row in October, I gave him the benefit of the doubt for a tough schedule.
When he was up 31-10 on Illinois in the fourth quarter on Saturday, I was ready to sing his praises. I was ready to tell everyone that Michigan State was only going to get better and Dantonio got the message from the fanbase, putting the hurt on an improved Illinois team.