Can Mel Tucker Keep the Spartans’ Momentum Into Week 6?

Under the leadership of head coach Mel Tucker, the Michigan State Spartans are getting some notice for their 5-0 start. Going into Week 6 ranked at #11, there’s a lot of eyes on Michigan State University’s football program.

More specifically, Spartan Nation wonders if Mel Tucker can continue to work his magic with this team. The college football betting community wonders if Tucker can help the Spartans maintain their focus as they move deeper into their Big Ten schedule.

In his second year as Michigan State’s head coach, Tucker plans to keep the momentum going and intends to keep this team humble at the same time.

Read more about Mel Tucker and his Spartan team as they prepare for their matchup at Rutgers this week.

Tucker’s Impressive Resume

Tucker returns to Michigan State as head coach with an impressive football pedigree. Interestingly, Tucker’s resume goes back to 1997, when he was a coaching grad assistant with the Michigan State football program.

Since those early days, he has traversed the coaching world in both college and the pros. Tucker spent several years coaching defense in the pros at Cleveland, Jacksonville, and Chicago.

His resume in college includes stints at Miami, LSU, Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia as defensive coordinator. Then he had a head coaching stint at the University of Colorado.

After Mark Dantonio’s abrupt exit for the 2020 season, Tucker returned to MSU, inheriting a team with limited prospects.

Tucker’s Return to Spartan Stadium

With a pandemic schedule and the need for building a new team, Spartan Nation didn’t have high expectations for 2020. However, they quickly fell in love with Tucker after he beat interstate rival and #13 ranked Michigan in his first outing against them.

Tucker is renowned nationally for his ability as a recruiter and talent developer, and it shows as Michigan State storms through the beginning of the 2021 season.

But anybody who follows Tucker will tell you that he isn’t going to let his Spartan recruits get too full of themselves. Instead, he always preaches the idea of “keep chopping” and “do the work to get the results” to his team.

Looking Ahead to Week 6

Tucker may not advertise it because he wants to keep his team hungry and humble, but he and the Spartan team head into Week 6 against Big Ten rival Rutgers with some impressive stats under their belt.

The Spartan offense averaging 37.8 points per game and is ranked 3rd in the Big Ten for scoring.

He has the offensive tools to take this team far. Tucker’s offense features the nation’s number one rusher, Kenneth Walker III, a transfer from Wake Forest. He has rushed for an impressive 680 yards as a Spartan.

Quarterback Payton Thorne has surprised many and now ranks fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards, third in the Big Ten for yards per attempt, and is tied for third with eleven touchdown passes.

Tucker isn’t afraid to be tough on his team despite these stats if they don’t play the way he wants. He was noted on the sideline for sitting out his entire offensive line because they weren’t executing his plan, and he wasn’t don’t yelling at them yet.

As for defense, his area of specialty, the Spartans have are 7th in points allowed in Big Ten play and have the 4th best rushing defense, only allowing 210.8 yards on the ground.

The meeting with Rutgers last year didn’t go well for the Spartans. Michigan State committed seven turnovers and lost 38-27. Don’t expect Tucker to allow that to happen this year. The Spartans have had only three turnovers this whole season. Tucker seems to have a firm handle on the Spartan team going into Week 6 against the 3-2 Rutgers team.

Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans

Mel Tucker and his Spartans head into the second half of their schedule with tougher Big Ten matchups. But don’t look for them to be unprepared. Every opponent is undoubtedly anxious about their Week 6 matchup on Saturday against this tough Spartan team.

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