#Daniel Barker

LINCOLN - One more offseason. One more preseason. One more football season. And one more postseason. All with a new commissioner, and an eye toward a larger future in the league. One more trip around the sun with this iteration of Big Ten football. And one more year with divisional schedules. One more year, for certain, of a Big Ten title game. The…

Michigan State heads into 2022 as one of the top curiosities in college football, with the Spartans attempting to follow up on last year's surprising 11-2 season, No. 9 national ranking and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory, all of which allowed third-year coach Mel Tucker to gain traction as a rising force in the profession. "Last year, we as a staff…

Well, well, well...could this be a PROGRAM WIN on the horizon? We all know what's at stake for Michigan State football on Saturday versus Indiana- a trip to a bowl game that might be in Detroit, Charlotte or some other place without palm trees. But who cares? If you told me this team gets to six wins after the Michigan game, I would've ended any…

MSU's football team badly needs some sort of positive identity. If one is going to take hold this season, it's likely to be the strength of the Spartans' offensive playmakers. That's their only potential matchup advantage through most of the rest of their schedule. But no offense in the history of football has ever been productive if its offensive…

After an impressive 11-win campaign in 2021, Michigan State is looking to build on its success heading into 2022. Mel Tucker and the Spartans have been a tough one for the oddsmakers to figure out, as the current over/under projection for MSU is set at 7.5. The schedule is certainly tough, with the gauntlet of the Big Ten East and a non-conference…

Michigan State isn't likely to be able to run the ball for much yardage Saturday, though offensive coordinator Jay Johnson has to stick to it and realize that the number of carries is the most important running game stat in a matchup like this. You have to force balance, make the defense respect the notion that you might run it, give your passing…

I imagine the Spartans are eager to prove they're better than what they showed last weekend at Washington, especially defensively. The question is, are they? This week will go a long ways toward explaining exactly who this MSU football team is - its defensive secondary, its pass rush, its offensive line. If QB Tanner Morgan and Minnesota have…

Michigan State's Mel Tucker shares harsh truths after Washington lossMichigan State football coach Mel Tucker speaks to the media on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in East Lansing. Free Press sports writer Chris Solari looks ahead to Michigan State football's Big Ten opener Saturday against Minnesota: Matchup: No. 21 Michigan State (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs.…

Before each Minnesota football game, GopherIllustrated will ask five questions of an opposing beat writer. This week, we spoke with Michigan State beat writer Stephen Brooks of SpartanTailgate to preview the Gophers' Week 4 away game against the Michigan State Spartans. 1) After winning two laughers against MAC teams to open the season, Michigan…

Michigan State isn't a favorite to win the Big Ten, but it has the right stuff to make a run. Despite losing WR Jalen Nailor and RB Kenneth Walker III, the Spartans' offense remains potent heading into 2022. There are some questions of depth - which will be graded in this piece - but there is enough top-end talent to guide the ship. Mel Tucker has…