Spartans Return to Practice Field With A ‘Sense of Urgency’
9/21/2020 9:43:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State football team returned to the practice field on Monday for the first time since the Big Ten Conference announced last Wednesday that the 2020 season would begin on Oct. 24.
The Spartans had been in the midst of a strength and conditioning program that began on Aug. 12, the day after the Big Ten postponed the season on Aug. 11. MSU held workouts last Thursday, Friday and Saturday before resuming practice on Monday for more than two hours in helmets, jerseys and shorts.
"It feels great to get back out on the grass with the team," said Spartan head coach Mel Tucker. "The guys were into it. We got a lot out of the practice today. Just a really good sense of urgency, attention to detail; we got a long ways to go, but I feel that we made a good step today.
"We have great energy from our staff, and that translates to our players. Guys were hustling and playing with a sense of urgency. We had a really good tempo on both sides of the ball. We had guys chasing the ball, finishing, and those are all things that we need to do. That's part of the process of how we practice, learning how to practice, and part of cementing our culture and how we work."
The Spartans won't be able to put the pads on until Sept. 30, but there is still plenty of work for the team to get in the next few practices.
"We're just going to work on our offense, defense and special teams," said Tucker, "continue to install, (along with) technique and fundamentals. We want our guys to play smart, play fast and play physical, and we're working on that each and every rep. Every rep counts. We got to evaluate our players; it's everything they do, we're filming it, we're going to watch it, we're going to grade them, and then we're going to get them better the next day."
The Spartans are slated to begin the 2020 season on Oct. 24 in Spartan Stadium against Rutgers.
The Spartans had been in the midst of a strength and conditioning program that began on Aug. 12, the day after the Big Ten postponed the season on Aug. 11. MSU held workouts last Thursday, Friday and Saturday before resuming practice on Monday for more than two hours in helmets, jerseys and shorts.
"It feels great to get back out on the grass with the team," said Spartan head coach Mel Tucker. "The guys were into it. We got a lot out of the practice today. Just a really good sense of urgency, attention to detail; we got a long ways to go, but I feel that we made a good step today.
"We have great energy from our staff, and that translates to our players. Guys were hustling and playing with a sense of urgency. We had a really good tempo on both sides of the ball. We had guys chasing the ball, finishing, and those are all things that we need to do. That's part of the process of how we practice, learning how to practice, and part of cementing our culture and how we work."
The Spartans won't be able to put the pads on until Sept. 30, but there is still plenty of work for the team to get in the next few practices.
"We're just going to work on our offense, defense and special teams," said Tucker, "continue to install, (along with) technique and fundamentals. We want our guys to play smart, play fast and play physical, and we're working on that each and every rep. Every rep counts. We got to evaluate our players; it's everything they do, we're filming it, we're going to watch it, we're going to grade them, and then we're going to get them better the next day."
The Spartans are slated to begin the 2020 season on Oct. 24 in Spartan Stadium against Rutgers.
Jonathan Smith Postgame Comments | Minnesota
Saturday, November 01
Jonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Oct. 27 2025
Monday, October 27
Jonathan Smith Post Game Comments | MICH | Oct. 25 2025
Sunday, October 26
Jonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Oct. 20 2025
Monday, October 20