Spartans can’t get excited about start

Michigan State has started quick before, but finished poorly.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Forgive Michigan State’s players and coaches for not getting too fired up about their 2-0 start this season.

The Spartans have had early season success before, only to fizzle when the competition got tougher. It likely will take at least a few more victories before the Spartans start talking about having reached any substantial level of success.

“I don’t feel like we’ve proven anything yet,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said Monday at Michigan State’s weekly press conference. “There’s a long way to go.

“We’ve been there before. We’ve been 3-0 and then the bottom falls out. So we’ve got to take the initiative to make sure people are playing hungry and still playing with that chip on their shoulder.”

Pattern since 2000

Strong starts and weak finishes have been a Michigan State pattern since 2000.

The Spartans have started 2-0 or better seven times since then, but so far have only two winning seasons to show for it, pending the outcome of this season.

Michigan State started 4-0 in 2005 and 3-0 last season but finished with losing records in both campaigns. That led to the firing of John L. Smith and the hiring of Mark Dantonio, who is working to restore a winning attitude in East Lansing.

The Spartans beat Alabama-Birmingham and Bowling Green to open this season. But the schedule gets tougher with Pittsburgh headed into Spartan Stadium on Saturday, followed by a trip to Notre Dame and then the Big Ten season.

Staying grounded

“I think it’s important we stay grounded in terms of what we have to accomplish here and understand the games are going to get more difficult as we move forward,” Dantonio said.

Early on this season, the Spartans aren’t beating themselves. And that’s an improvement from the past.

Michigan State often was hurt by penalties and mental mistakes in recent seasons. But the Spartans have committed only seven penalties in the first two games this season, the lowest number in the Big Ten.

“We have focused on that and talked about that,” Dantonio said of limiting penalties. “I think it’s a commitment from our players. Our guys are taking a little bit of pride in that.”

Pittsburgh, a member of the Big East Conference, is 2-0 after beating Eastern Michigan and Grambling. The Panther defense is allowing just 6.5 points per game so far this season.

The Spartans beat the Panthers last year in Pittsburgh, 38-23.