Michigan State caps resurgent season with 10th win, No. 100 for Mark Dantonio

SAN DIEGO - Brian Lewerke knew exactly what was being said about his team before the season began.

And, it wasn't very flattering.

The Michigan State redshirt sophomore quarterback read about mediocre expectations and a 6-6 ceiling.

Late Thursday night on the field at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium, Lewerke and the No. 16 Spartans (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) hoisted a trophy as Holiday Bowl champions following a 42-17 rout against No. 18 Washington State (9-4, 6-3 Pac-12) and he recalled how the doubt outside the program contradicted the confidence within it.

"We all believed in ourselves," Lewerke said with a smile after being named the game's offensive MVP. "We all knew what we had."

Michigan State hammers Washington State in Holiday Bowl

That proved to be a resurgent season for Michigan State, which was capped with the Holiday Bowl win. One year removed from a 3-9 finish - their worst since 1982 - the Spartans set a program record for the biggest single-season turnaround at seven victories.

"I think one of the biggest things you learn as a young person or as a coach or anybody," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said, "is to get up after you've been knocked down. ... Our football team did that."

Dantonio in 2007 took over a program coming off three straight losing seasons and built it into a Big Ten power and national contender. The Spartans posted a combined record of 36-5 from 2013-15 - capped by a trip to the College Football Playoff - before 2016 spun out of control on the field and was followed with a tumultuous offseason of attrition and four now-former players charged with sexual assault.

"We worked all offseason for this moment," Michigan State junior running back LJ Scott said. "We took a lot of doubt and negativity during the offseason about off-the-field things. I think it's a big accomplishment for the team and for the seniors to be able to leave this thing and flip it."

After missing a bowl game for the first time in Dantonio's tenure, Michigan State jumped out to a 6-1 start to become bowl eligible. The Spartans notched a pair of wins against then-top-10 teams with a victory at Michigan and against Penn State in East Lansing.

A blowout loss at Ohio State cost them a shot at playing for a Big Ten title, but this was the same team that won just a single conference game a year ago, and that was against lowly Rutgers. Michigan State rebounded from the 48-3 drubbing at Ohio State with back-to-back wins to close the regular season and carried momentum into the Holiday Bowl victory.

"It's a great example that if you put your mind to something you can overcome problems, you can get past problems and you can redirect the course of what you're trying to do," Dantonio said. "But, you've got to have a plan, you've got to have a belief in that plan and you've got to have people that will follow that plan. That's what we have, we have those type of individuals here."

Michigan State RB LJ Scott to return for senior season

Leading up to Thursday's kickoff in San Diego, Dantonio stressed the difference between being in a bowl game and winning one, and the focus on closing the season strong by the team playing its best. After trailing Washington State 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Spartans scored 35 straight points to blow the game open en route to a season-high point total. Michigan State's defense limited Washington State, which was without starting quarterback Luke Falk, to its third-lowest point total of the year.

"That was the goal today, to try to play a complete game all the way around," Michigan State junior receiver Felton Davis said. "We're a hard team to play with if we can play all three phases of this game."

The victory was Dantonio's 100^th leading the Spartans and he was presented with a cake commemorating his ascent to triple digits on the field after the game. He has the second-most wins in program history, trailing only Duffy Daugherty, who was 109-69-5 in 19 seasons (1954-72).

"I'm just really excited to be a part of a team that allowed us to come back and have a great season, Michigan State senior linebacker Chris Frey said, "and get Coach D his 100th win."

Dantonio (100-45) has won a trio of Big Ten titles and took the program to new heights in his first decade at the helm. Yet, 2017 - a season that began with such doubt - stands out.

"This was as great a football season that I have had as a coach," Dantonio said, "because of where we came from and what we were able to accomplish."

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