Michigan State Coach Mel Tucker: “I Am Not Very Happy Right Now”

On the heels of a 49-20 blowout loss to Ohio State at home, Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker entered his postgame press conference short on optimism for how his team competed by relaying, “I am not very happy right now so I am going to keep it short.”

Tucker has now been outscored 157-39 in his three games against Ryan Day and the Buckeyes since becoming head coach of the Spartans in 2020. When asked if he saw improvement from last season's 56-7 loss to Ohio State in Columbus, Tucker responded that he needed to watch the tape before offering, “you're either in the left-hand column or you're not.”

“We'll keep working on it. We'll go back and see what we can do with the guys that we have,” Tucker further stated when elaborating on the recent performances of his defense. Michigan State has now given up 500 yards of offense in seven straight games and over 600 to the Buckeyes in back-to-back seasons. “It's not an easy fix.”

In searching for what the most significant factor was between the two teams, Tucker declared “the one-on-one matchups, that's the biggest thing. They put the pressure on you at every position.” This was largely reflected in the performance of Marvin Harrison Jr. after the Buckeyes' sophomore receiver set the Ohio State career record for games with at least three touchdown receptions. Harrison Jr. made several impressive catches, most notably in the endzone while leaping over single-coverage in the Spartan secondary.

“Guys play hard but the execution isn’t there,” Tucker noted.

Perhaps in reference to those several touchdowns through the air, Tucker offered praise to Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud, calling him, “very accurate with the ball. He can put the ball places where a lot of guys can't on a consistent basis. He doesn't need a lot of room, so you have to be perfect.”

As for Michigan State's offensive performance, Tucker needed no film review to understand that his team's seven total yards rushing on the day were one of the key contributing differences towards preventing the game from remaining competitive.

“We have to be able to run the ball. You can't be one-dimensional. That's not a good formula,” Tucker explained. “Any time defensively you can make a team one-dimensional, take away the run where they have to throw the ball, you basically have them right where you want them.”

Tucker did not have many positive takeaways from Michigan State's performance in general, stating that he will “want to see better execution on all three phases. I want to see us prepared to get ready for this next game.” Now on a four-game losing streak, the Spartans will host Wisconsin next week while still searching for a first conference win this season.

Making matters worse for Michigan State, the game with Ohio State fell on a significant recruiting weekend for the MSU football program, as the Spartans hosted many of their prized targets in the next cycle while hoping to leave a good impression on current and future classes.

When asked about how he felt the outcome of the game would affect the current perception and outlook for Michigan State football, Tucker responded, “those guys see the opportunity to come in here and make a difference. We have a really good recruiting class for 2023, one of the best we’ve had here. We are going to have some very good players and recruit at a high level for ‘23.”

"Any time defensively you can make a team one-dimensional, take away the run where they have to throw the ball, you basically have them right where you want them."– Mel Tucker, On How Ohio State Prevented Michigan State's Offense From Keeping Pace with the Buckeyes

There was a scary moment in the first quarter when MSU safety Jaden Mangham suffered an apparent head injury after a violent collision with Buckeye running back TreVeyon Henderson. Mangham spent several minutes on the ground and had to be carted off the field.

Fortunately, Tucker relayed after the game that Mangham is now “in good shape,” adding that the freshman joined his Spartan teammates in the locker room after the game.

As for the rest of the negativity swirling around Michigan State's football program in wake of a 2-4 start, Tucker made sure to note that keeping demeanor and spirits high in the face of adversity would be crucial towards future success.

“I told them in the locker room I am on the lookout for any negativity because life is not easy and I have a zero tolerance for that period,” Tucker said.