It’s long since forgotten by fans and pundits across the country, but Michigan State ruled the gridiron in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
It was the advent of TV and it ushered in the era of modern football, and the Spartans became darlings of the football world by winning (or sharing) an unprecedented (6) national titles in 15 years! It was an amazing feat, but it didn’t happen by accident and it didn’t happen by wishful thinking.
It started with a plan.
John Hannah, Michigan State’s legendary President had a plan to transition Michigan State from a regional agricultural college into a world class University, so he conceived a plan, and football became his calling card that would help him earn national recognition and gain support with legislators and politicians. Hannah’s success started with a coherent plan.
Of course, in order to build a champion, Hannah needed a championship caliber coach and so he handpicked Clarence “Biggie” Munn, and just 4 years after taking the reins, Michigan State celebrated National Championships in 1951 and 1952, but it had to be sustainable, so after Munn stepped down as Head Coach in 1954 to become AD, he handed the baton to Hugh “Duffy” Daugherty one of his assistant coaches and the inimitable Duffy added 4 more National Titles in 1955, 1957, and “back to back” titles in 1965 and 1966.
So, Hannah deployed a purposeful plan and success followed, but after Hannah, Munn and Daugherty stepped down some 50 years ago, Michigan State’s plan for success seemed to be lost and the Trophy case for National Titles has remained barren.
In fact, it has been 55 years (more than half a century) since Spartan Football won a National Football Championship and during that time, there have been precious few Big Ten Championships as well. And when we check meaningful milestones over the past 55 years, Spartan Football has only earned six (6) “Top 10” finishes over the decades under 4 different coaches, and here is that short list:
Year/Coach/AP Ranking:
- 1987, George Perles #8
- 1999, Nick Saban #7
- 2013, Mark Dantonio #3*
- 2014, Mark Dantonio #5*
- 2015, Mark Dantonio #6
- 2021, Mel Tucker #9
*indicates Top 5 finish
Thank goodness for Mark Dantonio who clearly stands out with three (3) Top 10 finishes, including two (2) Top 5 finishes in 3 consecutive years, otherwise success on the gridiron has been intermittent and fleeting.
Yet it’s hard to believe that Michigan State University with a huge sports complex, a 75,000 seat stadium, a student enrollment of nearly 50,000, a sprawling scenic campus, an abundance of resources, and one of the best academic rankings of any university in the world, and yet it has only managed two (2) Top 5 finishes in 55 years?
How can that be?
Of course, in business, life and sport, if you don’t have a coherent plan for success, then success is unlikely to follow and ever since John Hannah, Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty stepped down some 50 years ago, Michigan State leadership including Presidents, Board of Trustees and Football Administration have rarely been on the same page and we can cite George Perles and Merrily Dean Baker era, and F. Peter McPherson and Nick Saban era as prime examples of Administrative planning gone awry.
So where does Spartan Football stand today?
Perhaps Mel Tucker is on the right path inasmuch as he posted a 11-2 record and earned a Top 10 finish in just his second season.
But that achievement won’t mean a thing if championships don’t follow and let’s remember, Spartan Football only finished #3 in the Big Ten last season and there are no spots in the trophy case for 3rd place finishes.
And while Spartan fans and alumni are proud of the legendary National Championship teams of the 1950’s and 1960’s, on the other hand, Spartan partisans are patiently awaiting to celebrate championships in the 21st century, and now that Mel Tucker is in a seat of power with a $90 Million contract, he needs to prove he has the wherewithal to match his impressive compensation package with a championship product
Can Mel Tucker step up?
Was 2021 an indicator of things to come, or was it a mirage?
There were a lot of narrow escapes in 2021 including Nebraska, 23-20 (OT); Indiana, 20-15; Michigan, 37-33; and Penn State, 30-27 which means the Spartans etched out 4 victories by a grand total of just 15 points. Of course, a win is a win, whether it’s one point or 100, but did MT simply catch lightning in a bottle last season or was he a savvy strategist?
Can MT consistently compete for Big Ten Championships in years to come and take the Spartans to the CFP?
It certainly won’t be an easy task because from a tactical perspective Mel Tucker has two major problems to address: he must fix an inefficient Offensive Line and he must overhaul a dysfunctional Defensive secondary.
Can Mel Tucker fix the Offensive Line and Defensive Secondary? Inquiring minds want to know…
The Offensive Line:
The Rushing Offense was greatly improved in 2021 compared to 2020, but it’s still a long, long way from Championship caliber.
It would be fair to say, the best measurement of an Offensive Line is the efficiency of its Rushing Offense. In that regard, the Spartans Rushing Offense averaged a respectable 176 Yards per game in 2021 which means it ranked #53 in the land when measured against 130 D-1 Schools. Of course, that was a great improvement compared to 2020 when the Rushing Offense averaged a dismal 92 Yards and ranked a dreadful #122 in the land.
But let’s be honest, being ranked #53 in the land is not exactly a badge of honor when measured against 130 D-1 schools, and moreover, whatever Rushing success was garnered last season goes to Kenneth Walker III who performed above and beyond the call of duty.
When KWIII was in the game, the Rushing Offense was generally able to keep opposing Defenses “off balance” and we all remember the first play of 2021 when KWIII opened the game against Northwestern with a 75 Yard Touchdown blast and subsequently posted 264 Yards Rushing for the game.
For the season, KWIII compiled an impressive 1,636 net Yards which was the most Rushing yardage of any Power 5 Running Back in the country, but KWIII got minimal help from his Offensive Line inasmuch as he gained most of his yardage after contact.
In fact, KWIII compiled the most Yards After Contact (YAC) of any running back in the country, but let’s be clear, YAC is not a “badge of honor” for an Offensive Line because it means KWIII was creating his own running lanes in the absence of dominant run blocking.
If opposing Defenses could stop KWIII then they could shut down the Spartan Offense and Ohio State is an example. The Buck’s sealed the gaps and limited KWIII to just 26 Yards Rushing which meant the Spartan Offense became one dimensional and of course the Spartans got hammered by Ohio State 56-7.
In total, the Spartans only gained 66 net Yards Rushing vs Ohio State and that won’t win football games and it certainly won’t win championships.
So, while there was great improvement in the Spartan Rushing Offense in 2021 compared to 2020, it was essentially the KWIII show, but KWIII is gone now so it is up to Chris Kapilovic (O-Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator) to prove he is capable of building a championship caliber Offensive Line for the next Running Back of choice.
But is Kapilovic up to the challenge? Over the past 10 years his Offensive Lines have only averaged 160 Yards Rushing per game, which is fair but certainly not dominant, so his units will need to be a lot more productive if the Spartans hope to win Championships in the years to come.
After all, success starts in the “trenches”…and Mel Tucker’s legacy is depending upon a consistent and dependable Offensive Line.
Can Chris Kapilovic deliver? Inquiring minds want to know…
The Spartans Defensive Secondary was beyond abysmal:
The Spartans Offensive Line may have been marginal in 2021, but the Defensive Secondary was downright abysmal.
So, give a dubious “tip of the cap” to Harlon Barnett who was responsible for the worst Defensive Secondary in the land last season when measured against 130 D-1 Schools. In fact, the Spartan Pass Defense ranked an unimaginable #130 when measured against 130 D-1 Schools…or Dead Last in the land!
When all was said and done, the Spartans Defensive Secondary yielded a whopping 325 Yards Passing per game and along the way the Spartans secondary got torched for 450 Yards Passing vs Ohio State, and a whopping 536 Yards Passing vs Purdue…and of course the Spartans lost both games and essentially played their way out of Big Ten championship contention. Even Western Kentucky put up 488 Yards Passing vs the Spartans.
In total, those 3 schools attempted a whopping 167 passes…completed 122 (or 73%) for an eye glazing 1474 Yards…and the Spartans Defense only “picked” a single Interception which meant those 3 schools boldly threw at will and with incredible success.
Of course, the leader of the Defensive secondary in 2021 was Harlon Barnett a former Spartan player and we all wish a former Spartan well, yet the last 4 seasons raise a bounty of questions regarding Barnett’s capability of building and guiding a championship caliber Defensive secondary.
Let’s remember, on Mark Dantonio’s staff, Barnett got plenty of support from Ron Burton (D-Line) and Mike Tressel (Linebackers) because their Front 7’s put plenty of pressure on opposing QB’s, and of course defensive game plans were essentially orchestrated by Mark Dantonio, which meant Barnett was the beneficiary in Dantonio’s scheme..
Yet after leaving Dantonio’s staff, Barnett took the job as Defensive Coordinator at Florida State and failed miserably.
When we check Barnett’s defensive stats for 2018 and 2019 at Florida State, and 2020 and 2021 at Michigan State, Barnett’s, Defensive units yielded an whopping average of 278 Yards Passing per game, and during those years, his Passing Defenses were ranked an abysmal #119 in 2018…#119 in 2019…#72 in 2020…and #130 in 2021 when measured against 130 D-1 Schools.
So when we summarize the data, it’s notable that in 3 of the last 4 seasons, Barnett’s units finished with an average ranking of 123 out of 130, or the bottom 5th percentile when measured against 130 schools.
If Barnett was getting graded on a “bell curve” he would receive a failing grade and be put on probation. Of course, maybe Barnett is already on probation because Mel Tucker has assumed responsibility for coaching Cornerbacks in 2022 and thereby relegated Barnett to coaching Safeties.
At any measure, Mel Tucker must find a “fix” because yielding more than 300 Yards Passing per game is a recipe for bottom tier finishes and the Spartans are lucky they dodged the bullet time and time again in 2021 as opponents racked up prodigious yardage vs Harlon Barnett’s unit.
How will the Spartans Defensive Secondary fare in 2022? We’ll see…
But, if Mel Tucker intends to build a Championship legacy for the 21st Century, he must win Big Ten championships and earn invitations to the College Football Playoffs, and the first place to start is by fixing his Offensive Line and overhauling a dysfunctional Defensive Secondary.
Can MT fix those units in 2022? Inquiring minds want to know…
At the bottom line, MT needs help and Allen Haller needs to establish himself as a dynamic leader:
Allen Haller is now AD and he sits in a position of power, but is he capable of helping Mel Tucker rebuild a Championship dynasty that has been lost at Michigan State?
After all, there is a stark difference between organizational caretakers and dynamic leaders, and if Allen Haller wants to be remembered in the annals of Spartan Athletics, then Allen Haller must prove that he is a dynamic leader and not simply a manager or caretaker.
There have been precious few dynamic AD’s at Michigan State in the past half century and the painful decline of Spartan Athletics across the athletic landscape including Baseball, Cross Country, Gymnastics, Hockey, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Wrestling and more proves that Michigan State needs leaders and not caretakers.
But reestablishing Spartan Football as a consistent championship contender is the most pressing issue on Allen Haller’s docket because Mel Tucker can’t do it alone. In a sense, Allen Haller needs to run interference for Mel Tucker.
Let’s remember, when John Hannah conceived his plan to establish Michigan State University as one of the leading universities in the world, Spartan Football became his “calling card”. And of course, Hannah’s handpicked architect was Clarence “Biggie” Munn.
In just 4 years after arriving at Michigan State, Munn built “back to back” National Champions in 1951 and 1952 and then Hannah elevated Munn to AD and in turn, Munn handpicked Hugh “Duffy” Daugherty one of his assistant coaches to build upon the established foundation and Duffy delivered 4 more National Championships.
Just as importantly, Michigan State became recognized as a leader across the athletic landscape as well as the premier pipeline to the NFL during the 50’s & 60’s…and Munn was recognized as the architect of that dominance..
So that begs this question: what is the plan today?
Whilst President Stanley is a great academician, on the other hand, he does not carry the same aptitude nor is he the same charismatic and dynamic leader as John Hannah, so this becomes Allen Haller’s opportunity to step up as a dynamic leader: but is he up to the task?
For the sake of 500,000 alumni worldwide, Mel Tucker and Allen Haller need to step up and establish a championship legacy in the 21st century…and 500,000 alumni are waiting and watching.
Are Me Tucker and Allen Haller up to the challenge? Inquiring minds want to know…
Thank you for reading.
