Five Most Interesting Things Mel Tucker Said Ahead Of Michigan Week
After what felt like a long seven days, 'Hate Week' is officially upon us as Michigan State prepares to head to Ann Arbor to battle in-state rival Michigan.
As usual, MSU head coach Mel Tucker met with the media early Monday afternoon to discuss the Spartans' next opponent. Here are the five most interesting quotes that came out of Tucker's press conference.
1.) “We didn’t really roll out the bulletin board material, and all the videos and all that stuff until this morning, even though it’s already out there … The players can get it from us, and they don’t need to get it from the outside. And then, we build from there.”
I’m not sure if this response was directed at some of the rivalry talk that came out of Ann Arbor last week or not, but it certainly sounded like Tucker was hinting at it here.
Tucker has always acknowledged that the Michigan-Michigan State game is not just another game on the Spartans’ schedule, and he’s routinely noted its importance to players, fans and alumni. However, that’s usually all we hear out of Tucker and his players leading up to the game.
However, even though the Spartans haven’t participated in the pre-game talk much over these last couple years, you can bet everything you own that Tucker and his staff make sure his players know about everything else that’s been said.
Henderson proved that post-game last year, when he opened his media availability with a rant about all the U-M folks who dared open their mouths before.
2.) “There’s no shortage of belief or confidence in our group. It’s more about preparation. We know that we need to play 60 minutes of complimentary football to be able to get the job done. We have not played our best 60 yet, so that’s our goal.
I think this might be Michigan State’s biggest weapon that they routinely carry into this rivalry game, especially since the beginning of the Mark Dantonio era.
The Spartans know without a shadow of a doubt that they can compete with the Wolverines on the football field. Michigan State has won 10 of the last 14 meetings. They’ve hammered Michigan as a favorite before, and they’ve upset them as a large underdog as well.
“The Power Of Belief” is a cliché, sure. But there’s certainly truth that comes from it too. The Spartans will not be wowed by what they see on the sideline in Ann Arbor. They believe they can beat this Michigan club, and Tucker once said that belief is the first step for any upset to occur.
3.) “You have to be able to match personnel. If they have bigger people out there, you need to put bigger people out there. It depends on what type of formations [you see]. Are they going to be more condensed formations…or are they going to be more spread out like 11 personnel — three wide receiver sets. … So, we just match personnel, and we’ve done that all season.”
This was Tucker’s response when asked about why Michigan State was in a 4-3 defensive scheme more often against Wisconsin, when the Spartans’ typical base defensive scheme under Tucker and D-coordinator Scottie Hazelton has been the 4-2-5.
It makes sense that MSU opted for an additional linebacker in the 4-3 scheme, as opposed to an extra defensive back in the 4-2-5 against the Badgers, who’s offense is power-run based. The Spartans played, arguably, their best defensive game of the last two years against Wisconsin, so that’s reason to expect MSU to continue with a 4-3 scheme.
Tucker pushes back on that idea a bit with this response however, suggesting that their scheme and personnel is going to mirror what they see from the opposing offense. While that obviously makes a lot of sense, Michigan State also needs to get its best players on the field together, and if they can find a linebacker who can hold his own in pass coverage, I think that would be preferred with how the Spartans’ defensive backs have struggled these past two seasons.
This is why Darius Snow’s injury in Week 1 was so devastating for this defense. Snow was a linebacker-defensive back hybrid who could cover well and fill a gap against the run. He’s been sorely missed this season, and the above explanation is the reason why.
4.) “We’ll see who we can get back and get ready to play, but it does matter who’s out there, and you can see a significant difference when have two of your best players back out on the field.”
This answer was in response to being asked about the return of defensive tackle Jacob Slade and safety Xavier Henderson on defense vs. Wisconsin, and if more players could return to the lineup following the bye week.
Slade and Henderson are indeed two of MSU’s best players, and their return is key to the Spartans’ hopes of pulling off an upset in Ann Arbor. Michigan State’s defense struggled against the pass all through 2021, but they were very stout against the run. That hasn’t carried over to 2022, and I think Slade and Henderson’s absence are a big reason why.
With those two guys back in the lineup, the Spartans have a chance to slow Michigan’s high-powered rushing attack, and that would be ‘Step One’ to pulling off this upset. The Wolverines have a good quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, and are solid at wide receiver as well but, by nature, Harbaugh and Michigan want to pound the football with the run game.
I’m intrigued to see who else could return from injury following the bye. Starting defensive ends Jeff Pietrowski and Khris Bogle have been out for several games in a row now as well, and their return in this game could provide another huge boost for the Spartans.
5.) “This is what big-time college football is all about. This is not for everyone, but this is what we love to do. So, when you get an opportunity to play or coach on a stage like that, it’s special. Not everyone has an opportunity to do something like that — to perform in front of the world, lay it on the line a d put it all out there. That’s what our players expect to be able to do when you come here to Michigan State, is to play on national TV versus great teams on a huge stage.”
Maybe this quote stands out to me because I’m just a massive fan of college football, but I do love and appreciate Tucker’s willingness to acknowledge how big these types of games are.
Rivalries are the lifeblood of college football and college athletics as a whole. Yes, professional sports have their rivalries, but they aren’t like college rivalries. In football, you get one shot at your in-state rival per year – and even that is no longer a given privilege in the age of conference realignment. Just ask the folks down in Texas and Oklahoma about that.
Like Dantonio once said, “This is an important game” and “it will never be over”. Whether you’re a fan of the Spartans or the Wolverines, you should be able to acknowledge the truth of those words.
In the state of Michigan, in college football, we get this rivalry for one week out of the year. Enjoy it and embrace it.
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
