Didn't get a chance to squeeze it into my basketball story yesterday because of all the craziness surrounding the Michigan State-Chicago State game, but the loudest cheers of the night came when new MSU football coach Mark Dantonio was introduced at halftime.

Dantonio talked for only a minute or two, said he was "very, very happy to be back in green," then said he has three goals for the program: to graduate players, make them fixtures in the community after their eligibility is done, and win a championship.

"We'll see how we're going to measure up in Spartan Stadium on Nov. 3," Dantonio said, referring of course to MSU's home date with Michigan, quite possibly the nation's preseason No. 1 team next year.

On the recruiting front, Dantonio already is making his presence felt having secured more than a half dozen commits since his hiring three weeks ago. My friends at Spartan Magazine, the best in the recruiting business, report that MSU has made up ground with two of the nation's top 100 prospects, cornerback Ronald Johnson of Muskegon and defensive tackle Joseph Barksdale of Detroit Cass Tech. I won't believe the Spartans land either one until I see it, but doing so would make up for the loss of blue-chip quarterback Keith Nichol to Oklahoma. Already, it speaks volumes that Dantonio has made MSU at least part of the discussion.