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Published Dec 29, 2018
Same Old Bobby, 'an old school veteran, man'
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Jim Comparoni  •  Spartans Illustrated
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This Redbox Bowl will mark the first time Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has coached against a fellow member of the Nick Saban coaching tree - although Dantonio and Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal have never coached together on the same staff.

Dantonio was defensive backs coach for Saban’s staff at Michigan State, from 1995-99.

Cristobal was offensive line coach at Alabama from 2013-16 after Cristobal was surprisingly fired following his fifth year as head coach at Florida International.

Cristobal, 48, left Alabama to become co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Oregon under first-year Ducks head coach Willie Taggart.

When Taggart left Oregon to become head coach at Florida State, Cristobal became the interim head coach and was later hired on a full-time basis.

“We just met when we came out here (for the Redbox Bowl press conference on Dec. 6),” Dantonio said. “I'm very impressed with him and his demeanor, his calm demeanor and the way he runs his business. When you look at Oregon, you see a disciplined football team on both sides of the ball. I think they're a program that's destined for greatness in the Pac-12.

“We have some commonalities I guess, having both worked for Coach Saban, and probably have a lot of people that we both know.”

Among them is former Michigan State head coach Bobby Williams. Williams left Alabama last winter to join Cristobal’s staff as special teams coordinator.

Williams was part of Dantonio’s first staff at Michigan State from 1995 to 1999. He took over as head coach at Michigan State from 2000 to 2002. Dantonio served as defensive backs coach for Williams at MSU in 2000.

Williams went 16-17 as head coach at Michigan State, with a 2-0 record in bowl games - including the Spartans’ last postseason trip to the Bay Area, a 44-35 victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Classic.

After being fired at Michigan State, Williams rejoined Saban’s staff at LSU (2004), and with the Miami Dolphins (2005-06) and Alabama (2008-15).

Williams has not been available for interviews this week.

When asked if Williams has seemed emotional, getting ready to take on his former employer, Cristobal shook it off.

“No,” Cristobal said. “That’s an old school veteran, man. You’re not going to see much emotion out of him. He’s all business.

“If you ask the players, they love him. They love him because of his passion for the game and the way he teaches and the way he takes pride in teaching. No, he’s been the same old Bobby.”

MichiganState
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N. Carolina
91
N. Carolina
Michigan St.
94
Arrow
Michigan St.
Michigan St.
63
Michigan St.
Memphis
71
Arrow
Memphis
Michigan St.
72
Arrow
Michigan St.
Colorado
56
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