Michigan State Football: 3 reasons Spartans will avoid upset at Purdue

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 30: Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a first half touchdown with Jalen Nailor #8 and Connor Heyward #11 while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Spartan Stadium on October 30, 2021 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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Michigan State’s head coach Mel Tucker communicates with players during the first quarter in the game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.211030 Msu Michigan 079a /

2. Mel Tucker will have this team focused

Mel Tucker acknowledged in his weekly press conference that Purdue isn’t a team to take lightly. He brought the receipts of the top teams the Boilermakers have upset over the years, including this season’s win over No. 2 Iowa in Iowa City. He knows that this isn’t going to be just another game for the Spartans.

Purdue is to be taken very seriously and he’s going to make sure his team doesn’t get caught looking ahead to the likes of Ohio State and Penn State in 2-3 weeks.

If there’s one thing that Tucker has done well this season, it’s keeping his team focused on the task at hand. It would have been easy for the Spartans to overlook Youngstown State before Miami, but they handled the Penguins, as they should have, by 28 points. They also didn’t get caught looking ahead to Michigan, beating Rutgers and Indiana on the road.

Tucker isn’t one to look ahead and he knows how important every week is. He knows what Purdue is capable of, so you can bet he’s treating this game like the most important on the schedule.

A focused Michigan State team is going to be trouble for Purdue.

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