Michigan State football: 3 positives heading into bye week

1. Getting back into the win column raises the confidence

Mel Tucker knew that he couldn’t panic during the team’s four-game losing streak. He had to remain calm, cool, and collected, even if he was actually frustrated under the surface or behind the scenes (he claims he wasn’t).

Heck, he had to remain calm when he found out his team was a pretty healthy underdog at home against a .500 Wisconsin team on homecoming.

The disrespect was beginning to pile on and he never wavered.

Instead, he put together a great game plan to beat the Badgers and improve to 3-4 on the season, snapping a four-game losing streak. Just getting that win on the schedule after a lengthy skid is great for confidence and you could tell how much the team needed this afterward with the locker room celebrations.

Payton Thorne looks confident again, Jayden Reed looks like his old self, Keon Coleman got back into the action, Jacoby Windmon looks like a different beast at linebacker, Jacob Slade and Xavier Henderson are healthy and playing again, and Bryce Baringer makes sure MSU wins all the field position battles.

The confidence is on the rise heading into one of the most anticipated games of the season for the green and white. Plus, disrespect from the rivals is at an all-time high.

This could bode well for Michigan State.