British writer: Michigan State beats Ohio State with class, celebrates with class | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:US-based British sportswriter Simon Veness revels in a win for the ‘good guys’ in Indianapolis.
We have a saying in British sporting circles – form is temporary, but class is permanent.
And that never seemed like a greater truism afterthe events at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
....And it owed everything to the class of Mark Dantonio, who has – in the eyes of this observer-from-afar – created an atmosphere of nobility in competition and respectfulness in attitude, two qualities that probably seemed as outdated as the idea of 12-win seasons and Rose Bowl bids back in September.
...."At the same time, we wait to see if the apparent hubris of OSU’s leader is affected in defeat, if an upset in this manner counts for anything in Columbus. I may have missed it, but I didn’t see a quoted word from the head coach admitting that the better team carried the day; that the Spartans are deserving of their ticket to Pasadena; anything, in fact, that showed an awareness of a world beyond his own.
So, if Urban Meyer really wants to learn the lessons of his first defeat with the Buckeyes, he needs to look not at the game tape of how his team were substantially and indisputably undermined on the field – but at how the opposite sideline conducted itself off it.
In this case, class may not necessarily be permanent, but it has certainly lasted since November 2006, when Mark Dantonio took up the reins at Spartan Stadium. And it will probably last as long as he fancies the task of pitting MSU against college football’s ‘super-powers.’"
....And it owed everything to the class of Mark Dantonio, who has – in the eyes of this observer-from-afar – created an atmosphere of nobility in competition and respectfulness in attitude, two qualities that probably seemed as outdated as the idea of 12-win seasons and Rose Bowl bids back in September.
...."At the same time, we wait to see if the apparent hubris of OSU’s leader is affected in defeat, if an upset in this manner counts for anything in Columbus. I may have missed it, but I didn’t see a quoted word from the head coach admitting that the better team carried the day; that the Spartans are deserving of their ticket to Pasadena; anything, in fact, that showed an awareness of a world beyond his own.
So, if Urban Meyer really wants to learn the lessons of his first defeat with the Buckeyes, he needs to look not at the game tape of how his team were substantially and indisputably undermined on the field – but at how the opposite sideline conducted itself off it.
In this case, class may not necessarily be permanent, but it has certainly lasted since November 2006, when Mark Dantonio took up the reins at Spartan Stadium. And it will probably last as long as he fancies the task of pitting MSU against college football’s ‘super-powers.’"
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