Dantonio era begins for Spartans

The new coach will have a new quarterback.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State has a new coach and a new quarterback entering the 2007 season.

They’re trying to bring a new attitude to the Spartans, who are coming off three straight losing seasons.

“I keep saying this: We’ve got to handle adversity,” coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday at Michigan State’s media day. “The word that I sense from our football team right now is ‘resolve.’ I feel that among our players. I feel like they feel they’ve got some things to prove and they’re going to do their very best to do those things.”

Dantonio said he is not worried about starting quarterback Brian Hoyer, who takes over for Drew Stanton, now with the NFL’s Detroit Lions.

Hoyer appeared in eight games last season and completed 82 of 144 passes for 863 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He started the season finale against Penn State, setting the school record with 61 pass attempts.

Struggled in 2006

The Spartans lost eight of their last nine games in 2006, the end of John L. Smith’s four-year tenure in East Lansing. But Hoyer and the other Spartans say they are eager to put that season of near misses and late-game disappointments behind them for good.

“It’s a clean slate for everybody,” Hoyer said.

Dantonio and his assistant coaches, hired from the University of Cincinnati, are putting in a more run-oriented offense and a more aggressive, attacking defensive scheme at Michigan State. But they may be spending just as much time on the team’s mental approach.

Several veteran players, from running back Javon Ringer to linebacker Kaleb Thornhill, say the team’s attitude is upbeat and positive.

“I see a whole new vibe out of our team,” offensive lineman Roland Martin said. “Guys are trying harder, working harder. Just taking a whole different approach.”

Dantonio has put on an emphasis on team-building exercises since his arrival.

The team last spring watched the movie ‘300,’ the story of an ancient battle where vastly outnumbered Spartan warriors defended against a massive, invading Persian army.

When fall practice began this week, offensive players found themselves rooming with defensive players.

Returning veterans were paired with newcomers. Older players bonded with newcomers to teach them about life in a Big Ten football program.

“It allows you to get to know each other,” Dantonio said. “It draws you a little bit closer.”

Dantonio, a Michigan State assistant from 1995 to 2000, also is trying to build a sense of history among his new players. He plans to bring in former Spartan players and coaches to talk about the formula that brought them success during their Michigan State days.

“We’ve got guys who expect to win,” Dantonio said. “I don’t really worry about that.”

Michigan State hosts Alabama-Birmingham during its Sept. 1 season opener.