Michigan State football's Mel Tucker named Dodd Trophy national coach of week

 

Chris Solari

Detroit Free Press

First-year Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker was named The Dodd Trophy's national coach of the week Tuesday.

The Spartans upset then-No. 13 Northwestern on Saturday, 29-20, in East Lansing. The Dodd Trophy's weekly award goes to a coach "who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity."

It was MSU's first win over a team in the College Football Playoff's top 10 since the Spartans beat Penn State in 2017.

 “Coach Tucker is already leaving his mark at Michigan State with two marquee wins during his first season,” Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, said in a statement. “Coach Dodd believed every game was important, but there’s no doubt that he would admire how Coach Tucker has been able to motivate his team against some of its toughest competition this season.”

Tucker is 4-3 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, including a 2-1 record at Michigan State. Four of his seven wins as a college head coach in his first two seasons have come against ranked opponents. 

The Spartans (2-3) are scheduled to host No. 4 Ohio State (4-0) at noon Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.