EAST LANSING – If you can’t imagine Michigan State senior forward Branden Dawson as Alex Karras, punching a horse in Mel Brooks’ 1974 satirical take on Westerns, “Blazing Saddles,” you’re not alone.

“(Dawson) would pet him and thank him, which is nice,” said Tom Izzo, Dawson’s coach. “But you’ve got to have some nastiness on your team.” - Read more at Freep.com