Through one game, this much is certain about Mel Tucker: He is not a magician.
There will be no rabbit being pulled from a hat, no making things disappear and no strange words creating a puff of smoke followed by oohs and aahs.
Nope. Turning around Michigan State football – namely the Spartans’ offensive production – is a much bigger job. There will be no tricks, no smoke and mirrors.
And if the season-opening loss to Rutgers is any indication, there’s still a long way to go before the Spartans come close to putting up the points and moving the ball the way they did at the high point of the Mark Dantonio era – a stretch that saw the offense put up program-record numbers while piling up wins, capturing Big Ten championships and, at one point, reaching the College Football Playoff.