3 Expectations for MSU's Offense, according to Mel Tucker, Tre Mosley, J.D. Duplain

It’s no secret Michigan State didn’t achieve what they wanted to last season. At Big Ten Media Days, head coach Mel Tucker, wide receiver Tre Mosley and offensive lineman J.D. Duplain each detailed how the Spartans’ will improve this fall..

Last season, MSU struggled mightily in the run game and did not have consistent quarterback play. Tucker, Mosley and Duplain expect drastic changes in both of those areas in 2023.

Here are three expectations Tucker, Mosley, and Duplain set at Media Day:

Tucker: How one of the three quarterbacks will win the job

You read that right. Tucker believes the QB competition has three potential starters. Redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser have battled for the starting job since spring, but Tucker said that incoming freshman Sam Leavitt will compete for the starting job as well in fall camp.

What would it take for Leavitt to beat out Kim and Houser?

“He’s got to be able to execute on a consistent basis better than the other two guys,” Tucker said. “Sam was a very confident guy. He’s got some high goals. He was clear in recruiting that he wanted to come in and play as a freshman, and that’s his goal. We told him the competition is going to be open for all of those guys.”

Tucker laid out what he and the staff need to see from any of those three in order to win the starting job. Tucker referenced the the Spartans quarterback battle in 2021, won by Payton Thorne, and his time at Alabama in 2015.

“Our quarterback has to be our number one competitor,” Tucker said. “We have three core values. Tough, discipline and selfless. The quarterback has to be all three for us.”

Duplain: A 100-yard rusher every game

The offensive line seems to be new and improved. After 2022 had ups and downs, Duplain feels the O-line is ready to meet standards. He expects this year’s front to be one of the better position groups on the team this season, with goals to reestablish the run game in East Lansing.

“We’ve taken that upon ourselves to get that fixed,” Duplain said of the rushing attack. “Last year, that’s not who we are as a team. That’s not who we are as a unit. We want to put [the defensive line] three yards back. We want to reestablish that line of scrimmage, knock you three yards back every snap. That’s how we’re going to fix the run game.”

Speaking for the offensive line as a unit, Duplain said the position group’s goal was to produce a 100-yard rusher in each game this season.

“You think Big Ten, you think Michigan State, you think running the ball,” Duplain said.

With a healthy offensive line, which is deeper than it's been in years, the Spartans can achieve that. How much MSU has improved in the trenches will be the determining factor in how successful the team will improve this season.

Mosley: No complacency, and improved attention to detail

Tucker and all the players talked about how talented the team was last season, but that talent didn’t translate to wins. Mosley said the Spartans fell short of goals in 2022 partially due to the team feeling complacent following an 11-2 season the previous year.

“When guys know that they have their spot solidified, that complacency can happen,” Mosley said. “But when guys are fighting, they’re going to give it their all everyday.”

Mosley is the only returning starting receiver, and said competition is strong again at the position. The redshirt senior expressed wide receiver coach Courtney Hawkins’ standards for the room, saying Hawkins told the group that there were receptions available. Who wanted them?

Veterans Montorie Foster and Christian Fitzpatrick, as well as incoming transfer Alante Brown (Nebraska) are competing with rising sophomores Tyrell Henry, Antonio Gates Jr. and Jaron Glover for those reps.

“I’m looking to see a major jump. I know those guys are hungry,” Mosley said of the sophomores. “They didn’t play as much as they probably wanted to last year. But now they have a tremendous opportunity in front of them now to get as many snaps as they want.”

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