But like, it didn’t really get under my skin directly too much because I knew I was in a position to change that. Like honestly when he made that comment it was kind of like, “What?” Like, you kind of looked at him sideways. I know it got the fans riled up, but how did you and your teammates feel about those comments? That’s when Mike Hart made the “little brother” comment that has stuck to this day. They had some guys.Īfter that 2007 game, there was a bit of controversy. But as much as I can’t stand that team, I always respect the talent that another team might have. And then we had them in 2007 and lost that one.
I didn’t play my sophomore year because I was hurt, but I don’t even know how much of a difference I would’ve made back then. The guys before us worked their asses off to try to do their best to win, but they kept coming up short. I hated losing to them, too. I know that feeling of losing, especially to your rival like that. Like, that game is something that’s always taken seriously and never taken lightly. I didn’t get a chance to talk to all the players who came before me, but it definitely sucked, man.
#Javon ringer series#
MSU was in the midst of a three-game losing streak in the series when you first got to campus, and that streak extended into your first three seasons there. Can you describe where this rivalry was back then? And once I got to Michigan State, I was able to see how real the rivalry was. With me eventually going to Michigan State, it really flowed with me because I never liked anything about Michigan growing up. So I never liked Michigan because I’d root for Ohio State. Growing up in Ohio, a lot of times, you hear more about Ohio State more than the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns. For me being in Ohio, I was never a fan of Michigan. How long did it take you to realize how intense this rivalry can be? I’m guessing you knew more about Ohio State-Michigan than Michigan State-Michigan growing up. (Note: This transcript has been edited and shortened for clarity and length) Because it’s been 10 years since Dantonio’s first win over Michigan, Ringer, now the assistant director of football operations at the University of Toledo, chatted with The Athletic to discuss where the program was back then, how he viewed the rivalry and what it’s been like to see the shift take place over the years. 6 Wolverines travel to East Lansing to face the No. And now, 10 years later, the game serves as the first win of the current 8-2 advantage Michigan State’s held over its rival the past 10 seasons.Īnother installment of this rivalry is set to be played this Saturday at noon, as the No. The win came one year after Michigan running back Mike Hart called MSU Michigan’s “little brother,” which added even more fuel to a rivalry that had enough beforehand. Michigan State hadn’t won in Ann Arbor since 1990, a stretch spanning 18 years. It was a significant program moment for a number of reasons. Of all his accomplishments throughout his MSU career, the one Ringer remembers the most from that 2008 season, and one that Michigan State fans might remember, too, is beating Michigan for the first time in six years, and for the first time under Dantonio. And with Dantonio at head coach and Ringer at running back, Michigan State went on to finish 9-4 that year, the most wins the program had seen since the 1999 season. He was named an All-American by nearly every outlet imaginable and placed 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2008. He finished his final season with 1,637 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. One of those players he relied on to do so was senior running back Javon Ringer, easily the best offensive player on the team and one of the best players in all of college football in 2008. It was his job to take the players he inherited from the previous administration and turn a program draped in mediocrity into one of the better ones in the conference. Long before the Big Ten championships, the New Year’s Day Bowl victories, the College Football Playoff appearance and the majority of Mark Dantonio’s 100-plus wins as Michigan State’s head football coach, there was the 2008 Spartans team, one that’s often overlooked these days, but holds significance this week.īack then, in Dantonio’s second year leading the program, there was still a lot to prove.