Michigan Football: Comparison of Mark Dantonio vs Brady Hoke
Brady Hoke needs a win in the worst way this weekend versus Michigan State. He is barely holding onto his dream job. Meanwhile, on the opposing sideline, Mark Dantonio is currently competing for a shot at the national championship with Michigan State.
Michigan has struggled under Hoke while the Spartans have become the dominant program in the state under Dantonio. Hoke talks about winning the Big Ten while Dantonio has three Big Ten titles. Hoke talks about tradition at Michigan while Dantonio is creating a new standard of excellence in East Lansing.
It’s a bitter bill for Michigan fans to swallow. It’s one thing to lose to a perceived equal like Ohio State, but to fall behind its instate rival is too much to bear.
And fall behind Michigan has.
| Michigan vs Michigan State 2007-14 | |||
| Team | Wins | Losses | % |
| Michigan State | 70 | 30 | .700 |
| Michigan | 53 | 43 | .552 |
A Michigan victory would put it on the path to making a bowl game (and perhaps help Hoke save his job), while a loss would likely all but end his tenure in Ann Arbor.
Here is a comparison of Hoke and Dantonio as their teams prepare to face each other.
Bitter Rivals
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Barely 65 miles separate these two programs, but they are light years apart on the football field.
Michigan, the winningest program in college football history has fallen on hard times since the retirement of Lloyd Carr (122-40) in 2007. The Wolverines have suffered through the Rich Rodriguez era (15-22), followed by Brady Hoke (29-17), while Michigan State has thrived under Mark Dantonio (70-30).
Hoke Before Michigan
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Brady Hoke played linebacker at Ball State before entering the coaching profession. He was an assistant coach at a number of schools (Grand Valley State, Western Michigan, Toledo, Oregon State) before becoming an assistant coach at Michigan from 1995-2002. He left Michigan to become the head coach at Ball State, where he led the team to an undefeated regular season in 2008 and a top-25 ranking in the national polls before dropping the MAC championship and bowl game. After Ball State, he was the head coach at San Diego State before succeeding Rich Rodriguez at Michigan.
Hoke returned to Michigan with a career winning percentage below .500—Ball State (34-38) and San Diego State (13-12).
During his first three seasons at Michigan, he has compiled a 26-13 record with three bowl appearances.
Dantonio Before Michigan State
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Mark Dantonio played defensive back at South Carolina before entering the coaching profession. He was an assistant coach at a number of schools (Purdue, Butler, Ohio State, Akron, Youngstown State, Kansas, Michigan State) before being named head coach at Cincinnati in 2004.
When he was named head coach at Michigan State in 2007, his career record at Cincinnati was 18-17.
During his first three seasons at Michigan State, he compiled a 22-17 record with three bowl appearances.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Michigan Before Hoke
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In Rich Rodriguez's final season at Michigan, the team finished 7-6 and lost 52-14 in the 2011 Gator Bowl versus Mississippi State. Rodriguez finished below .500 at Michigan (15-22) and never beat Michigan State or Ohio State.
Under his leadership, Michigan's consecutive bowl streak was snapped and the program was sanctioned for violating NCAA rules.
| Rodriguez vs Michigan State | |
| Year | Result |
| 2008 | L, 35-21 |
| 2009 | L, 26-20 (OT) |
| 2010 | L, 34-17 |
Michigan State Before Dantonio
5 of 9Michigan fans loved John L. Smith. From his antics with the press to his 0-4 record against the Wolverines, Smith was a source of amusement.
In his final season, the Spartans fell to 4-8 and ended up with a 22-26 record and only one bowl appearance.
| Smith vs Michigan | |
| Year | Result |
| 2003 | L, 27-20 |
| 2004 | L, 45-37 |
| 2005 | L, 34-31 |
| 2006 | L, 31-13 |
Dantonio on the Rivalry
6 of 9Everything changed in 2007.
The Spartans led the Wolverines 24-10 midway through the 4th quarter in Mark Dantonio's first season at Michigan State before eventually falling 28-24. In the postgame press conference, Michigan running back Mike Hart rubbed salt in the Spartans' wounds by referring to them as "little brother," which provoked Dantonio to respond in the video above.
Dantonio has only lost one time (2012) since.
On MLIVE.COM, Dantonio shared his thoughts as his team prepared for Michigan.
"It's always a great week...It's a great week for college football, it's a great week for our program, and we've always embraced it.''
| Dantonio vs Michigan | |
| Year | Result |
| 2007 | L, 28-24 |
| 2008 | W, 35-21 |
| 2009 | W, 26-20 (OT) |
| 2010 | W, 34-17 |
| 2011 | W, 28-14 |
| 2012 | L, 12-10 |
| 2013 | W, 29-6 |
Hoke on the Rivalry
7 of 9Hoke has talked about the importance of rivalry games but hasn't beaten any of Michigan's key rivals (Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ohio State) on the road. A win over Michigan State could possibly save his job, but the Wolverines look to be entering the game as a two-touchdown underdog.
| Hoke vs Michigan State | |
| Year | Result |
| 2011 | L, 28-14 |
| 2012 | W, 12-10 |
| 2013 | L, 29-6 |
Big Ten Title: Contender vs Pretender
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The Spartans have everything to lose in this game. They're a leading contender for another Big Ten title and hoping for a slot in the inaugural college football playoffs.
They need to win—and win convincingly—to make their case for the national polls. Meanwhile, Michigan is playing to save Hoke, who remains popular with his players.
Michigan has never upset a ranked opponent under Hoke.
Signature Win?
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There are some who believe that Hoke is finished at Michigan, but a win over Michigan State followed by a strong finish to the season might save his job.
The consequences for both teams are huge. The Spartans are hoping for a win that will propel them to a national title, while Michigan just wants to prove that it can still take down "little brother" when the stakes are high.
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations were obtained firsthand.
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