Pressure on Mel Tucker & Mich St after Payton Thorne named AU starter

[aubiefifty 16,869]

 

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Pressure on Mel Tucker and Michigan State football after Payton Thorne named Auburn starter

Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free PressSat, August 19, 2023 at 5:03 AM CDT·5 min read4Link Copied

6–8 minutes

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Mel Tucker, at the outset of spring practice, prepared for the likelihood that one of Michigan State football’s quarterbacks would exit his program in the months ahead. It was the new reality in the age of the transfer portal, where players at football’s most important position could ascertain their market value as they sought better opportunities elsewhere.

“We anticipated possibly one guy leaving, not maybe knowing who,” Tucker said in July.

Few anticipated it would be Payton Thorne, a two-time captain who had made 26 consecutive starts since the 2020 season finale, and already ranked among the most accomplished passers to ever come through East Lansing.

But then, out of the blue, came Tucker’s March announcement that an open competition would be staged for the role Thorne occupied the past two seasons. He was caught off guard.

“Extremely frustrating,” one person close to the situation told the Free Press.

So, Thorne extricated himself from it altogether, when he shockingly entered the portal April 30. Less than a week later, he landed at Auburn, ready to begin anew under first-year coach Hugh Freeze at a traditional SEC stronghold. With no guarantee Thorne would be chosen to run Freeze’s high-octane offense, he gambled on himself. On Thursday, the bet paid off as Thorne was named the starter over Robby Ashford, who played the Tigers’ final nine games last fall as their primary quarterback. Freeze told reporters Thorne separated himself with his “leadership ability” and his efficient “decision-making.”

 

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne (1) during a scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Aug. 12, 2023.

 

“He’s been in some really good battles,” Freeze said.

It was sweet vindication for Thorne, who will operate a scheme that will accentuate his strengths. Freeze is known for his ability to design plays that create favorable matchups on the outside and place the defense in conflict. The prevailing thought is Thorne’s chances for success will boil down to him making the right read.

ANALYSIS: Mel Tucker seeks difference-makers in latest batch of Michigan State football transfers

About 850 miles north in East Lansing, Tucker’s fate this year will also be determined by whether his calls turn out to be the correct ones. His decision to allow backup Noah Kim and former four-star prospect Katin Houser the opportunity to unseat Thorne was seen as risky from the beginning, and seems even more questionable now that Thorne has proven he’s worthy of starting at another Power Five program. It places additional pressure on Kim and Houser to produce results and validate a speculative move that cost Tucker his only experienced quarterback at a time when he could least afford to introduce another question to a roster that already had plenty.

The backslide that transpired last fall, when the Spartans won six fewer games than they did in 2021, made this upcoming season a critical one for the long-term welfare of Tucker’s regime. The Big Ten expansion to 18 schools in 2024 will create more competition within the league, and an argument can be made each of the four newcomers —Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA — is currently on better footing than MSU.

With the Spartans ranked 52nd in 247 Sports’ 2024 recruiting rankings, the Spartans must regain some momentum by successfully navigating a schedule rated among the 10 toughest in the nation. Considering the enormous stakes, a more seasoned quarterback would seem better equipped to handle that kind challenge.

Thorne showed his mettle two years ago, delivering in the clutch during a victory over Michigan in a top-10 matchup, and a bowl conquest of Pittsburgh that capped MSU’s surprising 2021 ascent. Even as Thorne weathered a series of injuries that caused a downturn in production last season, Tucker and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson kept turning to him. He handled all but 44 snaps despite playing with what he described as a “flat tire” after incurring damage all over his body.

 

Dec 30, 2021; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne (10) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second quarter during the 2021 Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

 

Asked earlier in August if he ever contemplated replacing a dented Thorne with Kim, Johnson said, “Possibly. You never know. … I was very confident if that had come to be, Noah would be fine.”

Yet Johnson’s inertia suggested otherwise, indicating the Spartans were willing to ride or die with Thorne at the helm.

INSIDE THE SPARTANS: This season is crucial for Mel Tucker's future with Michigan State. Here's why.

Even as he endured his struggles and a statistical regression, Thorne wasn’t the greatest cause for concern on a flawed team that featured a subpar running game, a shaky offensive line and a leaky defense. MSU's opponents combined to outscore the Spartans by 23 points in the first quarter — by far the biggest margin when compared to the other three quarters. That forced them to become more one-dimensional on offense, which made MSU easier to defend. The calamitous snowball effect was the result of multiple factors. But Thorne received most of the blame from fans.

 

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker speaks to the media during the Big Ten football media day in Indianapolis on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

 

“It all fell at his feet,” the source said.

Thorne is now out from under the heap of scorn after landing at a new program. The slate is blank at Auburn.

It is also clear in East Lansing, where the competition between Houser and Kim continues: At some point soon, Thorne’s chosen successor will be decided. But whether he will be good enough to justify the move that triggered Thorne’s departure won’t be determined for quite some time.

Even Johnson wouldn’t hazard to guess when asked how MSU’s next quarterback will fare.

“I don't think any of us will be able to answer that until Sept. 1 (vs. Central Michigan),” he said earlier in August.

As Johnson knows, it’s a question that never would have been presented if Thorne was preparing to take his first snaps of 2023 near the Red Cedar River banks instead of a short walk from Toomer’s Corner.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin.

Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mel Tucker, Michigan State QBs under pressure after Auburn makes move

[aubiefifty 16,869]

so it appears he played with a "flat tire" and a lot of damage to his body  last year . he played hurt and they kept going to him because he was either the only one they had or the best. he kept going out there tho. after sacrificing his body ol dumbbell mel opened the compitition and i believe it was a slap in his face. now he has an axe to grind i believe and i predict he will show out  this year.

[Bigtrain333 98]

Very Bo Nixish story.

[Swamp Eagle 5,144]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

so it appears he played with a "flat tire" and a lot of damage to his body  last year . he played hurt and they kept going to him because he was either the only one they had or the best. he kept going out there tho. after sacrificing his body ol dumbbell mel opened the compitition and i believe it was a slap in his face. now he has an axe to grind i believe and i predict he will show out  this year.

So he was ‘used up’ while hurt most of the season, then they thanked him by opening his job up in the spring…

…good call.