BleedGopher
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per Kleifield:
Series history: Michigan State holds 30-17 advantage
Tucker put Michigan State football back on the map in 2021, leading the Spartans to an 11-2 record that included a 37-33 conquest of eventual College Football Playoff semifinalist Michigan and a New Year’s Six bowl win. Is it possible to replicate that level of success without sensational running back Kenneth Walker III, who blazed an early season trail that convinced many CFB fans Sparty was finally getting its first Heisman Trophy winner, only to place sixth in the voting? Absolutely. Will it be difficult? Damn straight it will. It helps that Tucker continued his hot streak during the offseason, crushing it in the transfer portal, landing a pair of promising ball carriers in former Colorado and Wisconsin backs Broussard and Jalen Berger. Those additions ideally offset Walker’s leave to the NFL. The Spartans offense also said farewell to speedy pass-catcher Jalen Nailor, a sixth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings, but returns Jayden Reed, who broke out in 2021 for a team-high 1,026 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. Retooling the defensive secondary, which staked its claim as America’s worst last season, allowing 324.8 passing yards per game, was Tucker’s biggest offseason undertaking. The results of that task and the usage of its running backs will dictate Michigan State’s chances of contending in the Big Ten.
www.ballysports.com
Go Gophers!!
1. Michigan State | Avg. Ranking: 15.4 | Road | Saturday, Sept. 24
Last matchup: 30-27 (L) 2017Series history: Michigan State holds 30-17 advantage
Tucker put Michigan State football back on the map in 2021, leading the Spartans to an 11-2 record that included a 37-33 conquest of eventual College Football Playoff semifinalist Michigan and a New Year’s Six bowl win. Is it possible to replicate that level of success without sensational running back Kenneth Walker III, who blazed an early season trail that convinced many CFB fans Sparty was finally getting its first Heisman Trophy winner, only to place sixth in the voting? Absolutely. Will it be difficult? Damn straight it will. It helps that Tucker continued his hot streak during the offseason, crushing it in the transfer portal, landing a pair of promising ball carriers in former Colorado and Wisconsin backs Broussard and Jalen Berger. Those additions ideally offset Walker’s leave to the NFL. The Spartans offense also said farewell to speedy pass-catcher Jalen Nailor, a sixth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings, but returns Jayden Reed, who broke out in 2021 for a team-high 1,026 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. Retooling the defensive secondary, which staked its claim as America’s worst last season, allowing 324.8 passing yards per game, was Tucker’s biggest offseason undertaking. The results of that task and the usage of its running backs will dictate Michigan State’s chances of contending in the Big Ten.
Ranking Minnesota Gophers 2022 opponents
In true countdown to kickoff form, we take a glimpse at Minnesota’s schedule this season, starting with its easiest matchup and ending with its toughest.
Go Gophers!!
