Michigan State Football: The Spartans Have a Long Way to Go

After an emotional win against Michigan, the Spartans remind everyone they are in the middle of rebuilding their program.

Iowa City, IA – No one saw Michigan State besting the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, and Spartan fans everywhere agreed, especially after a devastating 11-point loss to Rutgers.

Yet, they pulled off the upset – a season-defining win, with a twist.

The victory over Michigan didn't signal more success; instead, it confirmed what we already knew about MSU in year one with a new head coach.

Mel Tucker, his staff, players, and fans will experience a series of ups and downs in 2020.

The 49-7 blowout loss proves Michigan State is still in the process of rebuilding its program.

"We have a tremendous amount of work to do; we have to get tougher," said Tucker. "We have to be more physical, and we have to play smarter."

Today, Iowa pushed the Spartans around at the line of scrimmage, and Rocky Lombardi, a player looking to be the next great MSU quarterback, seemed lost and unable to make smart decisions.

"As I continue to say, this is the beginning for us. We trust the process we have. We have to go back to East Lansing," Tucker said. "We have to watch the film. We have to make the corrections and put in the work."

Yes, they do, because it's Michigan State's second-worst loss since 2002 when Penn State dropped 61-points on the Spartans in Pennsylvania.

Last week, offensive coordinator Jay Johnson was far more willing to let Lombardi throw it deep, allowing his speedy receivers to get the better of Wolverine defenders.

Granted, Iowa is a different team than Michigan, and you gameplan for your opponent, but the Spartans launched it downfield twice compared to over a dozen times against U-M.

Oh, and they completed both.

Why not stick with what works?

"I think it was a combination of both," said Lombardi. "That's one of their strengths as a defense is taking away the big pass, and they do a good job of that. Also, that wasn't really our gameplan ... we were trying to attack them underneath and do what we could there."

The Iowa native didn't receive much help from MSU's wideouts as multiple passes were dropped between Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed, and Ricky White.

"Collectively, we have to play better. Totally unacceptable in terms of the performance," Tucker said. "Our standard is higher, much higher than what we've shown.

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