Michigan State Football: ‘Fierce’ QB Competition Continues

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker didn't announce the starting quarterback today as the 'fierce' competition continues heading into week one.

East Lansing, MI – As the Spartans prepare for their matchup against Rutgers this weekend, everyone wants to know the answer to one question.

Who will be the starting quarterback for Michigan State? At least in the opener.

"We won't be announcing the (starting) quarterback today," Mel Tucker told reporters during his first regular-season press conference. "There's been fierce competition at so many positions, including quarterback."

Before making a final decision, Tucker plans on using the rest of this week to evaluate the position, but ultimately it's about who gives MSU the best chance to win on Saturday.

"Obviously, the guys that we have are very capable. We're very fortunate to have multiple quarterbacks that we feel like can get the job done," Tucker said.

Earlier this month, offensive coordinator Jay Johnson suspected the competition between his guys would leak into the season if "a clear picture" wasn't presented to the staff.

"I'm not afraid, and I'm not unwilling to do that if that's what we need to do," said Johnson. "I'd prefer not to, but if we have to get there because it's not a clear picture, we will."

Then again, carrying the quarterback battle into a game week won't be easy and presents some interesting challenges by itself.

"It is a little bit, because so much of your preparation, because of your practice reps and so many different things there that you need to get the guys reps so that they're prepared for the game ... now you're trying to work two of them, and then are you getting the critical reps to both of them that you want to be prepared if that situation comes to be on a Saturday, so that is a little bit of a juggling act," Johnson said.

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