Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.
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A sore subject for MSU fans
It’s hard to argue that Mel Tucker has done a tremendous job in guiding Michigan State to a 7-0 start, but it’s equally hard to argue that such success usually comes at a price.
Often times in the world of college football, that price for fans is coaches who have their current programs overachieving, being mentioned as candidates for head coaching jobs at other schools.
Such is the case already with Tucker, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports.
During Fox’s pregame show on Saturday, Feldman said that “influential” people at LSU are “really, really high” on Tucker.
After winning the national championship just two years ago, the faithful in Baton Rouge soured on Tigers’ head coach Ed Orgeron quickly.
LSU is 4-3 on the season, and many fans of that program credit Joe Burrow, now playing in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, and Joe Brady, now the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, for that national championship in the 2019 season.
At this stage, it’s simply rumor and chatter in regards to Tucker and LSU.
Time will tell how serious the interest is, now that Orgeron and LSU reportedly reached a separation agreement and Orgeron won’t be the coach in 2022.
But one thing should be clear for MSU fans.
They aren’t the only ones who see the brilliant job Tucker is doing, and so Tucker’s name being tied to other potential or current openings likely won’t end.
By the way, if Tucker did eventually go to LSU, it would mark the second time a prominent coach bolted from MSU to LSU.
Remember a man named Nick Saban?
He did that before MSU’s Citrus Bowl appearance in 2000, so it’s no wonder these latest rumors with Tucker are already a sore subject for MSU supporters.
Ferris State tops Grand Valley State in a battle of Division II powers.
It was a record crowd of more than 17,000 people at Grand Valley State University’s Lubbers Stadium on Saturday, and the faithful got treated to an expected battle of Division II unbeatens between Ferris State and Grand Valley State.
Ultimately, No. 3 Ferris State prevailed over No. 6 Grand Valley State, 35-28.
Leading 14-7 in the final minute of the first half, Ferris State went up 21-7 on a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Alex Thomas when it appeared Grand Valley State would tie the game going into halftime.
Ferris State took a 28-7 lead in the third quarter and held off a second-half surge from Grand Valley State to win the Anchor-Bone Trophy.
High school playoff show is set for Sunday.
Sunday is one of the most exciting days of the high school football season in the state.
The pairings for the state playoffs will be revealed (yes, the regular season is already over, believe it or not) on Fox Sports Detroit and on the MHSAA’s website Sunday evening.
This will be the first full year in which the pairings are released based on a new points system that was supposed to be instituted last year, but the pandemic and shortened season forced the MHSAA to allow everyone to make the playoffs.
The new points system aims to more so reward strength of schedule, and doesn’t automatically allow teams with at least six wins into the postseason.