FootballSaturday, October 17, 2015
8

Behind Enemy Lines: Shilique Calhoun

By MAX BULTMAN

Daily Sports Editor

In his career at Michigan

State, fifth-year senior defensive
end Shilique Calhoun has made
a habit out
of wreaking
havoc
in

backfields
and
collecting
hardware.
He is a two-

time second-team All-American
and the Big Ten’s 2013 Defensive
Lineman of the Year.

But in his final season in East

Lansing, his former defensive
coordinator,
Pat
Narduzzi,
is

no longer with him. Narduzzi
left to become the head coach
at Pittsburgh this year, leaving
behind
a
defense
that
was

consistently among the nation’s
best.

The
Daily
sat
down
with

Calhoun at Big Ten Media days

in August for a discussion about
Narduzzi, Jim Harbaugh and the
NCAA.

The Michigan Daily: What did

you like about playing for Coach
(Pat) Narduzzi, and what do you
miss about it?

Shilique Calhoun: I like the

fact that Coach Narduzzi, you
know, he never lets down. He’s
always high-intensity. He’s going
to be that crazy guy. He’s kind of
like a fan. He’s a fan in a coach
form. He wants to see you do
better, he knows you can do better.
He’s gonna tell you how much
you should be doing better, and
I
think
that’s

exactly what I’ll
miss about him.
How
wild
he

was, how crazy
and how much
in love with the
game he was,
and in love with
us as players he
was.

But we have

great
coaches,

Coach Tressel, Coach Burton,
Coach Barnett, that are definitely
going to step up and do a great job,
and they’ve been doing a great job
for so long. It wasn’t just Narduzzi,
but I will miss him, because that is
my guy.

TMD: How different will the

defense be without Narduzzi?

SC: We’ll still be the same

Spartan Dawgs. I mean, that’s
who we are. Our coaching staff

does a great job of, you know —
it was never a point where we
felt like Coach Narduzzi was
handling everything. Everyone
had a hand in everything that we
did. So there’s gonna be no need
for picking up the slack. He’s
irreplaceable because he’s Coach
Narduzzi, but at the same time,
he would have never left us in a
terrible condition.

He understands what we have,

and he understands the potential
that we have, and he understands
the potential we have as players
and coaches. So I know we’re
going to have a great year. We’re

still
going
to

have that same
swarming-
to-the-ball
defense,
all

green
helmets

on
everything.

That
live

sideline,
he’s

not
gonna
be

coming down it
this year in the
fourth quarter,

but somebody will.

TMD: What do you think about

all the attention on Jim Harbaugh
and Michigan football the last six
months?

SC: No comment? I’ll leave it at

that. No comment.

TMD: The NCAA makes a point

to say that student-athletes are
treated the same as students, but
the punishments are a lot harsher.
How does that strike you?

SC: They’re harsher? I hadn’t

noticed (laughs). No, I think
because we’re in the public eye,
and not only that, but (because)
we’re stereotyped as role models
so early on. Even straight out of
high school, little kids look up
to us. So I do understand why
they do it and why it’s so harsh.
But at the same time, I think the
university should probably look
at it as, we are still kids. 17-, 18-,
19-year old people coming out
of high school, who ... we’re still
learning.

I’m a little older and a little

wiser to know you can’t do
(certain) things like that. But
some guys are really young, and
they don’t know any better. And
of course they have to be taught
a lesson, but I don’t think it
should be as harsh sometimes. I
don’t think, sometimes, that the
hammer should be brought down
on us, because we are just regular
students. Even though we do play
football, we are regular students
also.

TMD: Is it actually helping

anyone to have those harsher
punishments?

SC: I think it does. I think for

people who are moreso hard-
headed. I think that it helps them
realize that it doesn’t matter
who you are — you’re going to be
punished for what you’re doing. If
you’re not doing the right thing,
it’s going to be brought to the light,
and you’re gonna, you know, reap
what you sow.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun has given Michigan problems in each of their last two matchups.

BEHIND
ENEMY
LINES

“We’ll still be the

same Spartan
Dawgs. That’s
who we are.”