The Wolverines generated 333 yards of offense compared with MSU’s 219, went 4-for-8 on third downs (while holding MSU’s offense to 0-for-5), forced two turnovers and took a 23-14 lead into the locker room. Michigan was the better team in the first half, and that’s not really up for debate. Whatever buzz generated from the pregame events around town quickly faded. It set up the Michigan offense with great field position, and the Wolverines took advantage with a field goal to make it 10-0. Later in the quarter, a Thorne pass was tipped and picked off. Three plays later, UM quarterback Cade McNamara found East Lansing native Andrel Anthony for a 93-yard catch-and-run touchdown. After MSU picked up a pair of first downs on its first three plays, its drive ended on a bad deep ball, intercepted and downed at the Michigan 2. The Wolverines won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the MSU offense a chance to set the tone. Both teams were looking for validation, but only one would get it.įor a while, it looked like that team would be Michigan. It’s the first time since 1964 these schools have met as top-10 squads. This was the first-ever meeting against MSU and UM with both teams at 7-0. How much is real, and how much is a mirage? The strength of schedule, the offense that disappears at times, a defense that’s had its ups and downs.īut a game like this changes that. Still, however, it felt like there were lingering questions about the team coming into this game. It’s unrecognizable from the team that limped to a 2-5 finish last season. This program has fully transformed under Tucker - from recruiting approaches to nutrition to practice intensity to the on-field product. 8 in the country, with all of its goals ahead of it. That collective buy-in is one of the main reasons Michigan State entered this game a perfect 7-0, ranked No. “There’s nobody in the country I’d rather play for them. This is our coach,'” quarterback Payton Thorne said Saturday when asked to think back to his first interaction with Tucker. “I’ll never forget watching him walk in and be like, ‘OK, this is our guy. Bought in, never fazed, playing wholeheartedly for its head coach. The words Tucker used then perfectly encapsulate the way this team plays now. It’s somewhat shocking to think how far this team has come in a single year, but it must be addressed as we try to contextualize what we’re seeing. Our guys have bought in, and they believe in it.” We’re continuing to build on our process. “We believe in what we’re doing,” Tucker said after last year’s game. With Michigan up next on the schedule, nobody was picking Tucker and his team, a 21.5-point underdog in the game. Those who watched that first game, in which MSU turned the ball over seven times, wondered if the team would even win a game in 2020. It was the second game of the season, and his team was coming off of an embarrassing 38-27 loss to Rutgers. Back then, Michigan State was rebuilding. Tucker heard those requests last season, too, almost a year ago to the date. You name it, people have found a way to relay the message to him: “Beat Michigan.” Texts, emails, phone calls - probably even a pager, if those were still a thing. He has been mired in conversations, sparked out of thin air at a moment’s notice. Since arriving in East Lansing, Tucker hasn’t been able to escape the talk of this game and what it means to the people around town. What we tell our players and how we go about our business, it really resonates with them. Everything is part of our process, and we stick to it. “We’ve talked about everything A-Z that we’re doing. “We believe in our process,” Tucker said. 6 Michigan on Saturday, Tucker showed the world why he’s the perfect man for the job. He’s been interactive, rebranding Spartan Stadium as “The Woodshed” and its student section as “The Deep End.” The team we’re seeing is everything he said it would be when he took over more than 20 months ago - tough, physical, well-conditioned, explosive, balanced and relentless. A Midwest guy who began his coaching career at this very program, he has a deep understanding of this university and what its people need from their head football coach. In his short time in East Lansing, Mel Tucker has become a staple of this community.
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