STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Before boarding the team plane on Friday, each Michigan State player was handed a poker chip.
After entering the visitors' locker room at Beaver Stadium, the Spartans pulled them from their pockets and slammed them down.
Operating with a chip on the shoulder is a staple of how coach Mark Dantonio built the program. He used poker chips as a motivational tool before and brought them back this week - to resounding success.
Michigan State, a nearly two-touchdown underdog, stunned No. 8 Penn State 21-17 on Saturday in front of 106,685 fans at Beaver Stadium.