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Michigan State Football Enters Final Week of Spring Practice

Michigan State football enters its final week of spring practice and prepares for a different type of spring game.

EAST LANSING – Following a one-year reprieve, Michigan State football will take the field Saturday afternoon for its annual spring game.

And, after a year without attendance, MSU also welcomes its fanbase back to Spartan Stadium.

However, the spring game won't really be a game, and only 6,000 free digital tickets are being distributed. 

Michigan State released details about its spring game last weekend, including plans for 10-15 practice periods featuring live scrimmages.

Mel Tucker explained the new format during his press conference on Tuesday, which deviates from traditional spring games he's been part of throughout his career.

"We're just going to give our fans and everyone an inside look at how we practice; it's not going to be a game, per se," said Tucker. "The focus is going to be on the efficiency, the attention to detail, the sense of urgency which we practice, the enthusiasm, the high effort, and the high energy ... It's going to be a chance for everyone to see the culture of our practices and emphasize how we really go to work.

"We want it to be very competitive. This format that we're planning is going to be the best way to really display all of those things based upon the guys that we have available."

Entering the final week of spring, Tucker didn't say if any Spartans were out due to injury, nor did he say who will or won't be available come Saturday.

"We've been relatively healthy," Tucker said. "We'll see what the injury report is after practice at the end of today and tomorrow morning ... It's a fluid situation. In terms of catastrophic-type injuries, we've been able to avoid those for the most part."

In 2020, the largest announced crowd MSU played in front of was 1,441 in a 42-point loss at Iowa. So, it's easy to understand why seeing 6,000 people in the stands has Michigan State feeling enthusiastic.

"I do sense some excitement from our players and also from our coaches," said Tucker. "It's an opportunity to get out there in front of our fans, and we haven't had that." 

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