EAST LANSING — Michigan State football's season-opener at Northwestern on the road proved to be Mel Tucker's first home game in a way.
Spartan fans got loud from the start of Friday night's 38-21 win, with Kenneth Walker III's 75-yard, first-play touchdown making the presence of the pro-MSU crowd known immediately. So much so that Jayden Reed took a 15-yard celebration penalty for slapping hands with a green-clad fan in the front row of the south end zone after the score.
The next step for Tucker and the Spartans will be their first actual home game in front of fans Saturday at Spartan Stadium when Youngstown State visits for a noon kickoff (Big Ten Network).