EAST LANSING -- When Tyler Higby first saw Michigan State's 2017 schedule, he had the same reaction many of his teammates did to the early season bye.
"That kind of sucks," Higby recalled thinking.
At the time his concerns were with playing 10 straight games to close the season and possibly losing early season momentum by taking a break.
Then Hurricane Harvey hit his native Houston, triggering massive flooding. Now, he has a different outlook on this early bye.
"Looking at it now, after everything that's happened, it's really nice to be able to go back home," the Spartans offensive lineman said on Tuesday.