What Mel Tucker said following Michigan State's gutsy road win vs. Indiana
Michigan State went through a battle in Bloomington, but the Spartans fought through to get to 7-0 on the season.
A win against Indiana was far from a given with the Hoosiers coming off a bye and desperate to get things turned around. Despite entering the game at 2-3, Indiana remains talented and was always going to give Mel Tucker’s squad its best punch.
Fortunately, the Spartan defense stood tall on a day when the often-explosive offense was a bit bottled up. Though Payton Thorne and company did provide some key big plays, it was a pick-six by Cal Haladay and other key takeaways that allowed Michigan State to escape with the win.
Now, the Spartans are 7-0 and can head into a bye week to rest and prepare for the stretch run of the season. That stretch kicks off with the in-state rivalry against Michigan on Oct. 30.
As we leave Week 7, here’s what Tucker had to say about the win:
Tucker: "If you score on defense, you're gonna win 90 percent of your games."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 16, 2021
Tucker on his receivers getting contained downfield: "We're not always gonna have wide-open opportunities all the time."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 16, 2021
MSU coach Mel Tucker: "This was a good, good win for us on the road in a tough environment." Knew Indiana would be better than what they've seen on film. Proud of how his players and staff "held it together."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 16, 2021
Tucker on defense rising up and holding Indiana to FGs and getting critical takeaways: "It was huge. Defense has been playing hard all year. We just need to tighten some things up."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 16, 2021
Tucker says he told team at halftime they’re not going to wait on making a big play.
— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) October 16, 2021
Tucker to his team at halftime: "We're not gonna wait on the 80-yard pass or the 90-yard run."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 16, 2021
Tucker on Thorne's catch: "I don't know if you believe me, but I was like, 'Hey, that's a catch, let's go, move the chains.'"
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 16, 2021
