Everyone seems to enjoy talking about a quarterback battle, and the Michigan State faithful are no different. But with less than two weeks until the 2021 season opener, they still don’t have an answer. So far, Spartans head coach Mel Tucker has yet to make a decision about who will be behind center in the season opener, with redshirt sophomore Payton Thorne and transfer Anthony Russo both vying for the QB1 spot.

Or if he has, he isn’t talking about it.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Tucker indicated that there will be more talk about the quarterback position at a later time, once a decision has been made.

Last season, Thorne came off the bench against Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State, and made his first career start against Penn State. He threw for three touchdowns against the Nittany Lions, and over the course of his four games he completed 48-of-85 passing attempts for 582 yards — 325 of them against the Nittany Lions in the season finale.

Russo brings experience to the table, with a total of 31 games behind center for Temple, amassing 6,287 passing yards, 44 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. However, interceptions have been an issue for Russo, having thrown a pick in 26 of his 31 games played over the course of his career.

The Spartans open at Northwestern on Sept. 4.