Couch: We're about to find out where Michigan State football really is in its climb

EAST LANSING – From the deep water of the fourth quarter at Miami, to the deep sh— of the first snap in Columbus, we learned a lot about Michigan State’s football program under Mel Tucker last season.

That the Spartans had a little something to them. And that they still needed a little something more.

And so arrives a much-anticipated encore to an MSU season that both thrillingly exceeded expectations and soberingly reminded everyone that no college football program gets to entirely skip over the realities of a rebuild. Even if you can pluck a Kenneth Walker out of the transfer portal.

We’re about to learn where MSU’s program actually is in its climb. The Spartans are in this weird place, on two parallel tracks. One being the escalation in wins, from 2-5 in 2020 to 11-2 in 2021, and the presumptions that creates. The other being the program’s actual trajectory as Tucker and his staff beef up the talent incrementally through recruiting and further root their priorities and culture within the roster and program.

MSU won 11 games last season, but on several Saturdays looked like a six-win team. Eventually, though, you are who you can beat. If the Spartans punch above their weight again, it’ll be time to say they truly belong in a different class. It’s also very possible that MSU could win eight games this year and, on the second of those parallel tracks — the one with sustainable and steady growth — not have taken a step back at all.

If the Spartans look like they belong on the field with Ohio State, if they challenge the Buckeyes and make that a relatively competitive game on Oct. 8, if they have the depth to not fall off in November, if they can run the ball sans Walker against solid Big Ten competition this season, if their secondary isn’t a sieve, if their defensive line starts to become a problem for opponents, then finishing 8-4 or 9-3, while less intoxicating, would still be a step forward from last season’s 11-win campaign.

Because the goal for MSU is championships and playoff appearances. And to do so without overachieving. That’s what Tucker is being paid to do — to take MSU’s program to places it hasn’t been, even in the best of the Mark Dantonio years. Last year’s definitive progress made Tucker worth the $95-million gamble. There was so much competence on the field, late in games, in preparation, in play-calling.

If you ask Tucker or MSU’s most veteran players, they’ll tell you the program is in a better place than a year ago. For several reasons.

Player-to-player accountability, for one.

“We’re having different conversations at this point than we were having at anytime last season,” Tucker said. “ … We're going to need to have a player-led team in order to get to where we want to get to this season.”

Effort and understanding, also.

“We're just a lot farther along right now than we were last year,” said senior safety Xavier Henderson, who’s as frank a truth-teller as you’ll find on any college roster. “The coaches aren't talking about effort anymore, because the players, we are holding each other accountable. … Little things we're getting used to, (like) coach (Scottie) Hazelton's defense. He doesn't have to talk about it every day, because we know what the assignment is. And when he calls the plays, why he's calling them.”

The quarterback and the possibilities in the passing game.

“I think Peyton (Thorne) has just taken it to another level,” Henderson continued. “He's just quicker right now than he was last year, he's playing really smart. ... He's not afraid to take his shots. I think him and (sophomore receiver) Keon (Coleman) have been having a really good connection and I knew that was going to happen because every time Payton's in there, Keon's in there (too). ... Then we've got some other guys. I think our tight end room is really good. It's a deep room. So I'm excited about that, especially with Keon and Jayden (Reed) on the outside (at receiver).”

The improved depth and speed on defense, especially defensive back.

“We do have guys that can run,” Tucker said. “I feel good about us being able to run with people and being able to make the plays we need to make.

“There are certain positions where we're deeper than a year ago. And there are some positions where we're maybe the same, very similar with potential to get better. So we just have to see how it goes.”

Same for this nervous thought:

“I think we're going to go as far as the offensive line takes us,” Henderson said.

That’s another see-how-it-goes area.

But Tucker and his staff and this group of players — some holdovers, some transfers, some recruited out of high school by this regime — have quickly put MSU’s program in a place where see-how-it-goes doesn’t come with a sigh, but rather spirited curiosity and hope.

We're about to learn a lot about where things stand.

MORE: Couch: Predicting MSU's football season – WMU through Penn State (and a bowl projection)

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU football: We're about to learn where Mel Tucker's program is in its climb