EAST LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Number 15 ranked Michigan State University begins its third season under head coach Mel Tucker tonight, hosting Western Michigan University.
MSU is looking to build off the momentum from last season’s school-record turnaround, as the Spartans posted a nine-game improvement from 2020 (two wins) to 2021 (11 wins), won a New Year’s Six bowl game over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and finished No. 8 in the AFCA/USA TODAY Coaches Poll
and No. 9 in The Associated Press Poll.
Friday’s game marks the 17th meeting between Michigan State and Western Michigan. The Spartans lead the overall series, 14-2, including a 12-game winning streak that dates back to 1921. In the last matchup in 2019, MSU defeated WMU, 51-17.
Western Michigan junior running back Sean Tyler is coming off a career-best season that saw him finish with 1,150 yards on the ground and nine rushing touchdowns. It was his first time eclipsing 1,000 yards and the 13th-most in a single season. Tyler’s rushed for 1,803 yards in his career on just 286 carries for a staggering 6.3 yards per carry. The Richton Park, Ill., native needs just 650 more yards to break into WMU’s top-10 rushers of all time.
Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. tonight.
The University of Michigan will host Colorado State Saturday.
