PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Curt Cignetti did it at Indiana.
asserted
Cignetti → do → Indiana
Bob Chesney is doing it at ninth-ranked UCLA.
asserted
Chesney → do → UCLA
Pat Fitzgerald is attempting to do it at Michigan State.
asserted
Fitzgerald → attempt → State
Win right away, that is.
asserted
that → win → ?
Cignetti inherited a 3-9 program and guided the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff in his first season.
asserted
Cignetti → inherit → season
Chesney arrived to a similar situation in Westwood, taking over a 3-9 team that is undefeated going into Saturday’s game against Michigan State (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten).
asserted
that → arrive → State
“Anybody can do it,” Fitzgerald said while indicating no disrespect to his coaching colleagues.
asserted
Fitzgerald → do → colleagues
“You’re nowhere close to being satisfied with the standard, but you’re creating something that is obviously what we’re diligently working on.
asserted
we → ’re → what
Fitzgerald lived losing as a player, too.
asserted
Fitzgerald → live → player
His first two years as a Northwestern linebacker in the mid-1990s, the Wildcats were a combined 5-16-1 overall.
asserted
Wildcats → combine → mid-1990s
His final two years, they won back-to-back Big Ten championships and lost to USC in the 1996 Rose Bowl game.
asserted
they → win → game
“Losing sucks,” Fitzgerald said.
asserted
Fitzgerald → lose → ?
“I don’t sleep very well, food tastes like crap, dog barks at me.
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dog → sleep → me
It’s awful.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
You know how you fix it?
asserted
you → know → it
That’s what I told the team.”
asserted
I → ’ → team
The Bruins (6-0, 4-0) — one of six remaining unbeatens in the nation — and the Spartans meet in Pasadena for the first time since the 1966 Rose Bowl game, when UCLA won the New Year’s Day showdown 14-12.
asserted
UCLA → remain → showdown
The Spartans will visit the historic stadium on Friday to get pictures for their social media accounts, as Fitzgerald put it.
asserted
Fitzgerald → visit → it
But he has no plans to use the venue as inspiration.
asserted
he → have → inspiration
“We got plenty of motivation,” he said.
asserted
he → get → motivation
“We’re not winning, so there’s the motivation.”
asserted
We → win → ?
Going way back
Chesney initially respected Fitzgerald as a player, admitting he read “High Hopes: Taking the Purple to Pasadena,” the 1996 book by Wildcats coach Gary Barnett that covered Fitzgerald’s senior year.
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that → go → year
When Chesney coached at Holy Cross, he often visited Chicago, home to many of the school’s alumni, when Fitzgerald’s sons were being recruited to play college football.
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sons → coach → football
Several Holy Cross players came from the same high school as Fitzgerald’s sons and they knew him.
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they → come → him
“There’s pretty deep connections,” Chesney said.
asserted
Chesney → ’ → ?
Banged-up Spartans
Michigan State’s banged-up team might take more hits at key positions.
uncertain
team → bang → positions
Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and starting running back Jaziun Patterson were listed as questionable Wednesday on the injury report.
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Milivojevic → start → report
Milivojevic’s backup, Cam Fancher, is out with a knee injury, and Patterson filled in for standout Cam Edwards after he was injured last month.
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he → fill → Edwards
Second start for Dieffenbach
Bruins quarterback Ty Dieffenbach will be making his second start on Saturday, with first-stringer Nico Iamaleava sidelined for the rest of the season after knee surgery.
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Iamaleava → make → surgery
The 6-foot-6 senior completed 22 of 33 passes for a career-high 264 yards in his first FBS start last week, a 17-7 win over Wisconsin.
asserted
senior → complete → Wisconsin
“You can tell they have complete trust and confidence in his arm,” Fitzgerald said.
asserted
Fitzgerald → tell → arm
“He can really rip it.”
asserted
He → rip → it
The Bruins’ offense leads the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (231.0) and rushing touchdowns (21).
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offense → lead → game
The Bruins have made themselves into one of the best stories in college football, but their fans have yet to turn out in droves.
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fans → make → droves
Average attendance is 32,978 through three home games at the Rose Bowl, located about 26 miles from the UCLA campus.
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attendance → locate → campus
The school recently began offering students free admission to football, and men’s and women’s basketball games, and a paid bus runs from campus to Pasadena.
asserted
bus → begin → Pasadena
Current capacity is about 81,258 because of tarps covering seats in the upper end zones.
asserted
capacity → cover → zones
“I hope we’re making people proud,” Chesney said.
asserted
Chesney → hope → ?
“I hope they release the fear they might have of anything else and just support the hell out it and enjoy this journey.”
uncertain
they → hope → journey
Interim athletic director Tim Harris adopted a transparent count using scanned tickets at the gate to track actual attendance rather than typically inflated counts based on ticket distribution.
asserted
Harris → adopt → distribution
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
