Michigan State Football: 3 realistic goals for Mel Tucker’s first season

3. Top 70 offense

For a Big Ten program, a top 70 offensive attack shouldn’t be too much of a reach. That being said, if you’re a Michigan State football fan, you know that this would seem like an explosion on offense after watching Dave Warner and Brad Salem lead this unit for the past decade.

After being unable to finish in the top 100 in points per game for the past two seasons, a step up on offense is the first noticeable change we should see with Mel Tucker at the helm. We don’t have one of Mark Dantonio’s best friends leading this attack anymore. Instead, we’ll be watching a man who is actually qualified for his position call the plays.

It’s hard to get a gauge for how good of a coordinator Jay Johnson has been, especially considering his short stints at Colorado and Minnesota. At his worst, he’s had a couple of bad offenses ranking around the 100 spot. That being said, his worst seasons at worse programs would equate to an average season at MSU.

He’ll have more tools at this Big Ten school and could show glimpses back into his days at Louisiana, where his offense finished fifth in the country in yards per play. A top 70 offense at Michigan State should not be a reach; we’ll see if the new offensive coordinator can make some improvements in East Lansing.