Attrition hinders Michigan State ahead of its finale at Penn State

To Mel Tucker, it goes without saying that Michigan State needs to beat Penn State on Saturday if it’s going to earn a bowl bid. So, at his weekly presser on Monday, the Michigan State coach didn’t say it. Not at first, anyway. Only when he was asked directly about his team’s precarious postseason hopes toward the end of the 26-minute session with local reporters did Tucker reluctantly address the topic. 

“I think we all know what’s at stake, and the players know that as well,” Tucker said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to continue to harp on that. That’s talking about the end result. What we need to focus on as a program, as players and coaches, is what we need to do every single day to prepare for that opportunity. 

“Semantic responsibility is important,” he added. “What comes out of my mouth — how I say it and why I say it — matters. And so, our focus is on the process. We all know what’s at stake in terms of bowl eligibility.”

Michigan State spirals after loss at Washington

A few months ago, no one would have predicted that the Spartans would find themselves heading into the final weekend of the regular season still looking for their sixth win. They were coming off an 11-2 finish and No. 9 ranking in the Associated Press poll in 2021 and seemed to be well ahead of schedule under Tucker’s leadership.

But then came a 39-28 unmasking at Washington in Week 3, a game in which Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for 397 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

Nothing has been the same since. Michigan State lost its next three, all by double digits, and its season went spinning even further out of control after a 29-7 loss to in-state rival Michigan in mid-October. There were postgame altercations in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium that night, along with an allegation of “toxic and hate-filled” sideline chatter during the game. The confrontations in the tunnel resulted in Michigan State suspending eight players, seven of whom were charged with crimes earlier this week by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Spartans seemed to get back on track in early November with a 23-15 victory over 16th-ranked Illinois. But then came a lackluster 27-21 win over Rutgers in which they needed to recover an onside kick at the end to finish off the last-place Scarlet Knights, followed by a 39-31 double-overtime loss to Indiana last week. 

Spartans’ opponents find success on the ground

Michigan State’s pass defense, the team’s one big weakness last year, came under renewed scrutiny after Penix shredded the Spartans’ secondary in a game that Washington led by 25 points early in the fourth quarter. Lately, though, the run defense has been an even bigger problem. 

Michigan rushed for 276 yards, Rutgers for 224 and Indiana for 257. Heading into its regular-season finale, Michigan State has fallen to 11th place in the Big Ten in rushing defense at 180.3 yards per game. 

One of the reasons for the Spartans’ difficulties, Tucker said, is that they haven’t been able to do any hitting during practice. Seven of the eight suspended players were on defense, and those absences, coupled with the team’s injuries, have meant that the coaches have had to eliminate contact drills in order to ensure that players are healthy on Saturday.

Related: Confirmed recruiting list for Penn State’s game against Michigan State

“The only day that we have contact [and] hit with pads is on game day,” Tucker said. “It’s been like that for the past three weeks because we don’t have enough guys to practice. We don’t have enough healthy bodies. We’re just trying to get guys to the game so that we have enough guys to play. 

“That lack of contact, full-speed contact and hitting, shows up mostly in the run game, as opposed to the passing game.”

With Penn State’s running game ranked fourth in the Big Ten behind standout freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, Tucker said the Spartans are taking a different approach to practice this week. He didn’t elaborate on what that approach might be, but he did sound hopeful that the Spartans will be able to “play the type of run defense that we need to play.”

“We have plenty of toughness,” Tucker said. “We have enough players to get it done, but we’re going to have to adjust some of the ways we go about preparing the guys. It will still be without contact; we certainly can’t afford to do that. But there are other things we’ve brainstormed that we feel like we can do to help ourselves. That’s going to be a point of emphasis.”