Coaches put distractions aside before bowl game

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San Antonio — Adversity, and specifically overcoming it, has been the buzz word all week leading up to Saturday’s Valero Alamo Bowl.

MSU has dealt with it for more than a month after multiple players were suspended for their involvement in an on-campus fight in November. Then it hit Texas Tech when the university fired head coach Mike Leach on Thursday after allegations that he mistreated a wide receiver with a concussion.

Now, Red Raiders defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill has been thrust into the spotlight after being named interim head coach.

But for McNeill, pressure isn’t something that comes with being named interim head coach three days before a bowl game.

“Pressure to me is growing up and we make $2,000 a month as a family and our bill are $3,000,” McNeill said. “That’s pressure.”

With the Leach situation unfolding, focus has significantly shifted from MSU’s problems to the Red Raiders coaching issues. Dantonio said Texas Tech’s issues have not distracted his squad.

“We have so many other things on our plate … that you really don’t have time for distraction,” Dantonio said. “I think it raises an eyebrow and then you move on.”

Both coaches were asked about their eating and sleeping habits (Dantonio said he is doing both well, McNeill said he is sleeping fine, but his eating habits are irregular) in what has turned into one
of the stranger months in the history of both programs.

“Our whole year has been about handling adversity,” Dantonio said.

“But somehow, someway, we found a way to get here. We were determined when we did get here that we were going to have a positive experience off the field and we were going to have a positive experience on the field, which is to be determined. That’s the goal and that’s the mindset and that’s where our focus has been.”

McNeill, Texas Tech’s defensive coordinator since 2007, said it has been a tough week for everyone involved in his program, noting all the controversy has taken away from players on both teams.

“It’s like going 95 miles per hour in a school zone,” McNeill said. “And I’m probably getting ready to get a ticket, so I’m sure the kids have been faced with a lot of things, as well.”

With both teams going through their own situations and having the proverbial chip on their shoulders, keeping emotion in check is important for both coaches.

“That’s one of the things you worry about,” McNeill said. “You want to make sure they’re excited, you don’t want to take that away from them, but you also want to make sure you’re focused on the task at hand.”

Dantonio said his main goal is making sure his team is ready to play.

“We need to execute,” Dantonio said. “Enthusiasm is going to play a part in any football game but I think we’re looking to remain consistent in our level of enthusiasm, especially with the type of offense they use.”

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