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Hey ‘It’s that school down the road’ fans, are you ready to take on ‘It’s that school down the road’ State on Saturday?
Someone should give new ITSDTRSU head coach Mel Tucker a geography lesson that the name ‘Michigan’ is also in Michigan State’s title.
Mel Tucker hasn't said "Michigan" once during this press conference.
— Joe Dandron (@JosephDandronMI) October 27, 2020
In his press conference previewing the annual rivalry, Tucker refused to say the word ‘Michigan’ throughout, instead referring to the Wolverines as ‘the school down the road.’ We get it — Urban Meyer did the same thing with Michigan, calling it ‘that team up north,’ harkening back to the days when Woody Hayes was leading the Buckeyes. Brady Hoke called Ohio State ‘Ohio,’ leaving out the ‘state’ portion.
But Michigan State disrespects — sorry, ‘disrespekts’ — itself when it refuses to actually acknowledge that it’s in the state of Michigan. Says Tucker of his choice:
“I don’t think there’s any question who we’re playing this week,” Tucker said. “It’s the school down the road and I think we all know who that is. I think it’s pretty obvious.”
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Michigan State HC Mel Tucker didn't say 'Michigan' once in today's press conference. He referred to the Wolverines as 'the school down the road'. This was his response when asked about it. pic.twitter.com/Mrk3R40th8
— Jason Lewis (@JasonLewis_TV) October 27, 2020
No, he’s right. It is obvious to anyone who has a schedule in hand.
Listen, you can try to motivate your team however you’d like, as phony as your tactics may be. But hey, it worked for Urban Meyer, could it work for ITSDTRSU on Saturday?
Maybe, but right now, the Spartans are huge underdogs coming off their Big Ten Week 1 loss to Rutgers. However, it is college football and anything can happen.
Just, maybe, do it on your own terms instead of disparaging yourself while taking a page out of someone else’s playbook.
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