EAST LANSING — Ten years ago, things looked bleak for Michigan State’s football program.
A dorm fight after the team banquet in 2009. Eleven players were suspended or dismissed or otherwise left the team. The Spartans finished 6-7 after their short-handed Alamo Bowl loss to Texas Tech. It overshadowed their 2008 season, their first nine-win performance in a decade, and coach Mark Dantonio encountered plenty of questions about his leadership and MSU’s future.
Then everything changed in a flash.