FAYETTEVILLE -- On power conferences meeting the MAC, Dan Enos has seen it all from both sides.
Four years playing for Michigan State in the Big Ten and four years as an assistant coach at Michigan State taught Enos the power conference side of playing against underdogs from the Mid-American Conference.
Five years as the head coach of Central Michigan after three years of coaching quarterbacks at Western Michigan thoroughly indoctrinated Enos to the MAC point of view as the David taking on Goliath.
Nobody can warn Bret Bielema and his Arkansas Razorbacks staff better than Enos, their new offensive coordinator, that Coach Matt Campbell and his Toledo Rockets won't whimper into Little Rock for Saturday's 3 p.m. game at War Memorial Stadium.
They will take the same attitude -- and then some -- that Enos said he he harbored from 2010-2014 while bringing Central Michigan into battle against power conference opponents who were banking on frosting a cupcake.
"Let's go win it," Enos said he always told his Chippewas.
A couple of times they did.
"You know we went and beat Purdue last year when I was at Central, and in 2012 we won at Iowa," Enos said. "When I was an assistant at Western Michigan in 2000 we went to Iowa and won."
Toledo, never beaten by Enos' Central Michigan teams and favored to win the MAC West coming off a 9-4 season, won't arrive just hoping to beat the 21-point spread.
"Their attitude is to come in and win the game," Enos said. "They have good players, they have good coaches, just like everybody else."
Enos said the 18th-ranked Razorbacks must approach Saturday's game with the same respect they hold for an SEC or other power conference matchup.
"Our attitude is this: Toledo is our opponent. They won nine games last year. They're a heck of a good football team with good players and good coaches," Enos said. "We're going to have to have a great week of preparation and focus."
Coachspeak cliches?
Sure, but applicable. Especially against an underdog that isn't acting like one.
Like Bielema, Campbell can get down to brash tacks.
It took knowing the incredibly vast respect that Bielema has for Jonathan Williams, whom he had just praised extensively, not to deem Bielema callously cocky when discussing how the Razorbacks would replace their great senior running back who was lost for the season with torn foot ligaments.
"It's not a setback in any way, shape or form," Bielema said. "It's an opportunity for others take a step forward."
Here's Campbell, his Rockets still 0-0 after lightning cancelled last Thursday's game against Stony Brook (Toledo led 16-7 at half), discussing Toledo running back Kareem Hunt (1,631 yards and 16 touchdowns on 205 carries last season) and play-making defensive end Allen Covington missing this Saturday's game under disciplinary suspensions:
"I don't think it has much impact on our football team" Campbell said. "We have great depth at both those positions."
If that doesn't sound like an intimidated coach, it's because he isn't.
Sports on 09/09/2015