[College Sports News]

On the general attitude heading into the football season:
Our attitude at Michigan State right now is to measure up. This is a very tough conference and we need to win back the respect of our fans at this point. It will be about how we handle adversity and diverse situations.

On Coach Dantonio's response to Michigan State's previous reputation of having a soft defense:
We won't accept a soft defense. We have a strong defense and I expect that to continue. We have an outstanding defensive coordinator [Pat Narduzzi]. Our players believe what we have and in what we're doing right now. Our defense, we have to keep on the pressure, tackling in space, playing the ball to the deep part of the field. Attention to detail is key.

On Michigan State's schedule, specifically playing through Thanksgiving break:
We can't control that part. Whenever they schedule the games, we show up. If we have to put off Thanksgiving for a week, we can do that. I can't really comment on that, but it is difficult to play for 12 weeks without a bye. But that's the only thing I'm going to say.

Big Ten Kickoff Coverage :: Comments from Head Coach Mark Dantonio