When Will Dantonio Address His Coordinators?

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Sunday was like any other day, only on this day Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio was addressing questions related to the last-second loss to Iowa.

Along with answering questions related to the Jeremy Ware hit on Colin Sandeman, a play which resulted in a huge Iowa first down, the biggest point of emphasis made by Dantonio was the Spartans’ use of a three-man rush on the Hawkeyes’ final drive.

After using four defensive linemen to pressure quarterback Ricky Stanzi for the majority of last Saturday’s contest, the Spartans went somewhat conservative as they held the lead with under two minutes remaining. The three-man rush worked sporadically throughout the game, as Iowa was only 5-for-15 on third down conversions.

But Iowa’s final drive was all about winning the game. With the Spartans rushing three players off the line, Stanzi had time to look over different receivers and deliver the ball. In the end, all the time was on Stanzi’s side and he delivered the game-winning touchdown pass.

This begs the question: when will Dantonio call out his coordinators?

I understand it is almost a lame-duck move to blame other coaches for deficiencies on the playing field, but Spartan fans have seen such lapses in judgment before. The biggest culprit is Pat Narduzzi, MSU’s defensive coordinator.

Narduzzi’s defense started the season off by not stopping anybody in its first four games (unless you consider stopping Montana State as a big accomplishment). His defensive schemes were dissected easily by an average quarterback in Wisconsin, and conservative play-calling almost led to a painful defeat at the hands of Michigan.

Now, after playing it safe against Iowa and ultimately failing, Narduzzi must be addressed as a possible hindrance within the program.

It is uncommon for coaches to rip other coaches in the media, especially during press conferences. But as the defense has showed flashes at times, it has also shown huge gaping holes even a bulldozer could power through. Even though Narduzzi is a good friend of Dantonio’s, there is no excuse for the defense to be so inconsistent year after year.

As Dantonio defended the three-man rush in the game against Iowa, hopefully he addressed Narduzzi’s defensive game plan behind closed doors.

Otherwise, the Spartans will continue to be just another mediocre team in a rather mediocre conference.

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