Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, who will meet for the 11th time on Saturday at Ryan Field, couldn’t be more different in terms of their personalities.

Fitzgerald, who has been at Northwestern since 2006, is a colorful character. His Monday press conferences usually draw as many laughs as an open-mike night at a night club, and he usually unleashes a few good one-liners.

This week, for example, when asked whether he’d like to see quarterback Hunter Johnson slide more often to avoid hits, Fitzgerald sarcastically shot back, “No, I’m gonna put a neck roll on his shoulder pads and go back to the 90s and just truck people.” He added that “sometimes you learn from touching the stove. I hope he doesn’t touch the stove this weekend against MSU because they’ll knock his lips off.”

Dantonio, on the other hand, has the demeanor of an oncologist delivering a cancer diagnosis. He is serious. Sober. His furrowed brows make his face look like it’s in a permanent scowl. He didn’t smile once during his Tuesday press conference – even when a reporter asked him a personal question about his daughters – and the session had the atmosphere of a Senate Committee hearing.

But on the field, it’s a different story. There, Dantonio and Fitzgerald have plenty of similarities.

For starters, each of their teams are rooted in defense, which is hardly surprising for a pair of former college defenders. (Fitzgerald was a linebacker at Northwestern, Dantonio a defensive back at South Carolina.) And both of their offenses have struggled in recent years, too – especially this one.

Northwestern’s calling card is a defense that is more of a bend-but-don’t-break kind of unit. Last year, they finished a mediocre ninth in the Big Ten in total defense. The Wildcats let teams gain yards between the 20s, but in the red zone they stiffened; and they were also opportunistic, generating more turnovers than all but one defense in the Big Ten last season.

Michigan State’s, on the other hand, is more of a don’t-bend, don’t-break, and, as a matter-of-fact, don’t allow any yards, at all, type of defense. Last year, the Spartans topped the Big Ten in scoring and rushing defense – yet finished just 7-6 as its offense floundered. This year, MSU ranks second in the nation in both rushing and total defense.

Fitzgerald knows Dantonio’s unit as well as his own by now. He should — he's been playing Dantonio’s defense since a year before NU defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz joined his staff in 2008.

He says that the source of the Spartans’ success is their talent level.

“I think it starts with their personnel,” said Fitzgerald. “They’ve got all-Big Ten players across the board, at every position. They’re well-coordinated. They’re physical, they play great team defense. You rarely see them beat themselves and they tackle incredibly well… It’s been a hallmark of Coach Dantonio’s program for a long time.”

That talent enables MSU to play man-to-man in the secondary while focusing on stopping the running game. Fitzgerald also says the Spartans do a “really good job” of disguising their defense, showing you one look when you come to the line and another once the ball is snapped.

Whatever you want to do, Michigan State is going to take it away. “They’re going to try to make you play left-handed if you’re a righty,” is how Fitzgerald puts it.

“They’re gonna suffocate the run,” he said. “It’s because they have such skill in the secondary that they can play (an aggressive) press-man, quarters scheme. They’re sub package (nickel) DBs are going to be real aggressive and take away your skill (players). It’s a well-coordinated, talented defense that plays as a team.”

So what does Northwestern have to do to score points against that Gang Green? They’re going to have to beat them head-up in individual matchups because the Spartants won’t let you outnumber them at the point of attack.

“We’re going to have to be one-on-one, and we’re going to have to win,” he said.

That figures to be Northwestern’s biggest challenge on Saturday. The Wildcat offense was much better against UNLV last week – posting 30 points and 441 yards – but it still ranks dead-last in the Big Ten in scoring, passing and total offense. Plus, Michigan State represents a big step up in class from the Stanford and UNLV units the Cats have faced to date.

In East Lansing, meanwhile, everyone is up in arms about an offense that managed just seven points last week in a stunning three-point home loss to Arizona State. Still, the Spartans’ offense is averaging 104 more yards per game than Northwestern’s, and scoring 10 more points per game. They rank fifth in the Big Ten in total offense; their problem has been converting those yards into points.

Dantonio lamented on Tuesday that Michigan State crossed the 50-yard line seven times, turned the ball over just once and outgained the Sun Devils 404 to 216. Yet the Spartans lost the game because they missed three field goals – including the one that would have tied the score on the last play of the game: a miss from 47 yards after a make from 42 was flagged for too many men on the field. (Imagine what Dantonio’s face looked like after that one.)

“You’ve got to be productive,” he said. “You’ve got to make your field goals.”

Dantonio and Fitzgerald come into this game dead-even in their head-to-head record. Each has won five games against the other. Interestingly, Dantonio dominated early, winning four of the first five against Northwestern – as well picking up three Big Ten titles in the six years between 2010-15.

However, the tables have turned to the other sideline as of late. Fitzgerald has now won four of the last five matchups, including the last three in a row. And he’s done it with an offense that has averaged 40.6 points per game – a number that seems to be more than both teams will be able to score combined on Saturday.

Neither coach has a reason for the shift in momentum in the series. Six of the 10 contents have been decided by 10 points or less – Dantonio’s idea of a close game – and both guys know that one play here or there could have altered the outcome.

“Coach D and I have been in this league a long time and most of these games have been really close, I think because, even though (they are) not the same schemes, we play a very similar style of football, and that’s why the games have been so close,” said Fitzgerald. “I think both teams are very disciplined in what they do and how they do things. I think both programs play team football, complementary football. I think both teams are really sound and smart in the kicking game.”

While their personalities differ greatly, one thing that both men have in common is respect for each other.

“He’s one of the best coaches to ever coach our game for a reason,” said Fitzgerald about his counterpart. “He gets his guys to play at a high level.”

And Dantonio gushes – well, for him, anyway – about Fitzgerald, too.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s very easy to talk to, he’s done a great job leading. He leads with integrity and he’s been a constant,” he said. “There’s something to that. When you’ve been a constant, you’ve gone through the tough times, and you’ve gone through the good times. There’s something to be able to do that. I guess it’s an admirable trait.”

The line for Saturday’s game opened with Michigan State as an 8.5-point favorite, but it’s risen to 10 points now. Given how well these two teams play defense – and how poorly they play offense – that point spread might better serve as the over/under number on Saturday.