As Huskies Face Coach-Less Team, Been There, Done That

EAST LANSING, Michigan — Mel Tucker probably will be watching Saturday's Washington-Michigan State football game from a recliner in his living room following his suspension as the Spartans coach amid sexual harassment allegations, thus forcing his players to fend for themselves.

Usually this type of situation doesn't go well at all. Teams, no matter how talented, become a rudderless ship, an incohesive mess, when an assistant coach hurriedly has to step in and provide direction.

Or have you forgotten what happened to the 2021 Huskies?

Jimmy Lake unwisely shoved a player during the Oregon game that season on top of not winning enough, drew a suspension, got fired and his UW team full of mismanaged talent lost its final four games, three without Lake on the sideline, with team leadership a glaring afterthought.

On the other end of the spectrum is the last game the Huskies lost last October — to patched-up Arizona State, which defeated Kalen DeBoer's team 45-38 in Tempe three weeks following the firing of Herm Edwards, by finding just enough inspiration and momentum to pull the upset.

"I've thought about that and it might come up," DeBoer said of his pre-game message and whether he would mention the Sun Devils. "I really don't feel we're going to make a big deal out of it."

A football program that's been led by the likes of Duffy Daugherty, Mark Dantonio, George Perles, Biggie Munn and Nick Saban will try to survive this coaching interruption by getting creative and reaching out to the present and the past.

Secondary coach Harlon Barnett, 56, who came to Michigan State with Tucker in 2020, has been elevated to interim coach. He has been described as an even-keel personality, much like defensive coordinator Bob Gregory was as a temporary leader for the UW two seasons ago.

Most of all, Dantonio, 67, has been brought back on an emergency basis to consult and try to limit the coaching damage. In charge of Michigan State football in 2007-19 and Tucker's predecessor, he remains the Spartans' winningest coach with a 114-57 record, including 6-6 in bowl games.

Husky tight end Devin Culp remembers way too well what happened in 2021 when his football team suddenly unraveled with Lake's ouster. Everybody tried to be so brave in the face of dramatic change because there's really nothing else players in that position can do. Yet only losses piled up no matter how hard those Huskies worked to be resilient and bounce back. Players handled the coaching change differently.

"I know like when everything kind of had happened with coach Lake, it was a mix of emotions," Culp said. "Some players had good relationships with the head coach and some players didn't have as strong a connection with the coach. One thing I do know for sure is the hunger to keep winning games doesn't go away."

Of course, the instant rush of saving-face adrenaline sometimes can only carry you so far. Once Lake was out, the Huskies took on Arizona State at home with Gregory serving as interim coach for the first time, bravely rushed out to a 14-0 lead, still held the upper hand at 24-21 with 5:46 left to play, came unraveled in the closing minutes and lost 35-30 as reality sunk in.

Even if Tucker, 51, hadn't run sideways with the school, this eighth-ranked UW football team would be favored in just its second trip to Spartan Stadium and first since 1969.

The Huskies have their own issues because they might have to play without as many as four starters who were in the lineup for the season opener in center Matteo Mele, running back Dillon Johnson, safety Asa Turner and edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui, which is a huge chunk of manpower to go without. Early in the week, DeBoer was hopeful each had a chance to play, but it would be a surprise if all were suddenly healthy.

Still, Michigan State has a much bigger obstacle to overcome as it tries to hold together without the direction of Tucker, so highly regarded after coaching the Spartans to an 11-2 season in 2021 that he was rewarded with a rich 10-year, $95 million contract. He's put his players in a tough position against the Huskies. He might not return to his job.

"You don't want to be that story: their coach left so they aren't going to be any good — nobody wants that," Husky wide receiver Rome Odunze said. "A lot of teams want to be that team that stepped up and they won without a head coach. I know that's the mindset they'll come out with."

Mindset is one thing, though, because a team is not quite the same again without its leader.

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