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.”

