It's a new era of Michigan State football. Mel Tucker isn't Mark Dantonio.
He is fresh, new and has clearly energized the program.
But the Spartans' modus operandi is similar to their best years under Dantonio. It's underestimate MSU at your own peril.
The Spartans' success, a 4-0 record after a thrilling 23-20 overtime victory vs. Nebraska Saturday night, was unexpected.
It was anticipated MSU would win four games this season, five tops. They were referred to as a "Cinderella Story" by network broadcasters Saturday, who continue to refer to MSU as "Sparty," which suggests they represent a mascot rather than an academic institution of higher learning.
It is kind of insulting, sure, but then again the Spartans tend to do their best work when disrespected.
Remember all the rhetoric about how Dantonio had an uncanny propensity for turning 3-star recruits into 4- and 5-star performers?
Tucker is doing the same thing. Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III, one of the best backs in the nation, was a 2-star recruit. He is from Arlington, TN. He wasn't offered by Tennessee or even Memphis, which is just 30 minutes away. He is this era's version Le'Veon Bell, the 2-star from Columbus, who didn't get a sniff from Ohio State, but nonetheless starred at MSU and in the NFL. Quarterback Payton Thorne was a 3-star. Jayden Reed, the wide receiver, who scored both MSU touchdowns against Nebraska on a long punt return and a reception, was Thorne's high school teammate. A 2-star, he stood out as a freshman at Western Michigan before transferring to MSU when Dantonio was still coach.
Chester Kimbrough, the cornerback whose brilliant interception in OT set up MSU's win Saturday, is a transfer from Florida, where he could struggled to get on the field for two years before entering the portal. He was a 3-star from New Orleans.
It indicates the Spartans are a hungry football team with much to prove.
And so far, they are proving it.
