Saban, surprisingly, not smiling after Spartans stun Notre Dame

The straight-faced Saban played it cool two days after his team stunned Notre Dame with a 45-23 win, preferring instead to contemplate whether the coming two weeks - a bye week for State - will help or hurt their annual showdown with Michigan on Sept. 26.

"You just have to manage it the best you can. When you have a bye week, it really disrupts the rhythm," Saban said. "When things are going badly, that's OK, but when things go well, it really concerns you when the rhythm is disrupted."

Things couldn't have gone any better Saturday. Michigan State battered Notre Dame so badly that the Fighting Irish dropped from No. 10 to No. 23 in the weekly Associated Press poll. The Spartans (1-2) had a 42-3 lead at halftime.

AP PHOTO Sedrick Irvin and the rest of the Spartans have two weeks to celebrate their 45-23 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday before they come to Ann Arbor to face Michigan.

"Obviously this is a lot better press conference today than the other two," Saban said, referring to earlier losses to Colorado State and Oregon.

"This is good for the team. Everyone has a better disposition when they win. We played hard, with more confidence."

Saban named several factors for a game he said was much more physical and aggressive than the Spartans have been playing this season.

He said the hometown crowd helped excite the team and gave its younger players more confidence. Saban added that his older, more experienced players also threw much more into their game - in part because they wanted to win one for injured cornerback Amp Campbell.

"I simply asked the players, 'Why did we have success? You guys tell me why.' And they end up telling you exactly what you've been telling them," Saban said.

Saban particularly praised quarterback Bill Burke, who notched TD passes of 16, 86 and 17 yards. He hit on 12 of 19 passes for 209 yards to spark the Michigan State attack.

"I'm really pleased about his performance," Saban said. "We didn't have as many big plays, but I think it was more important that we have an effective quarterback, and we did."

Saban said the team will practice today, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday this week, then return to its regular practice schedule next week before facing Michigan. He said his biggest challenge now is keeping up his team's confidence and excitement.

"The best thing we can do is not talk about it right now. All the players know who we play next," he said.

"You can get overboard on it all, and I'm not sure that by the time the game comes, you're in psychological synch with what you need to do to be successful."

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