Michigan State Football: 3 hot takes from disappointing loss to Purdue

We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but Michigan State football finally lost its first game of the 2021 season at Purdue in Week 10.

The Spartans fell to 8-1 with the loss and No. 8 in the AP Top 25 but the real rankings come out on Tuesday night when the playoff poll is released.

Panic hasn’t ensued just yet within the fanbase, but there were still some questionable takes following the Spartans’ loss to Purdue on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette.

Let’s dive into some piping-hot takes from Saturday’s loss to Purdue.

3. This was a much-needed wake-up call

You never want to lose a game and this isn’t something Mel Tucker was hoping for, but this loss can be turned into something positive, without a doubt.

Michigan State’s defense was living by the “bend but don’t break” mentality, but Tucker and Co. found out that it’s not always going to work. The Spartans can’t “bend” for 500 yards through the air and still expect to win. That’s just not a sustainable defensive outlook. Plus, no defensive coordinator purposely employs a “bend but don’t break” defensive mindset.

Tucker knows that the defense can’t continue down this road and Purdue exposed a multitude of issues that may not have loomed large in wins because they were working.

We all knew Michigan State probably wasn’t going 12-0, but it’s best that these issues get exposed now instead of against Ohio State or Penn State with the season on the line.

This was a wake-up call.