Fans will again have to wait until gameday to know who will be lining up under center for the Spartans.
Head coach Mel Tucker avoided naming a starting quarterback during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, citing that it’s an ongoing situation that’ll be evaluated throughout this week of practice.
Tucker says “it’s gonna be an ongoing thing” in determining MSU’s starting QB this week. “Everyone’s gotta compete. … You’re only as good as your next play.”
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 24, 2020
It’s assumed that either junior Rocky Lombardi or redshirt freshman Payton Thorne will get the nod this week against No. 13 Northwestern. Lombardi has started all four games this season, but was replaced by Thorne in the second quarter of the Spartans’ last game on Nov. 14 against Indiana.
Lombardi has been extremely inconsistent this season, with turnovers continuing to be an issue for him. He has 890 passing yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions this year. Five of those interceptions came in the last two games, leading to Thorne replacing him against the Hoosiers.
Thorne has played in each of the last two games, but got his first true game reps of his career against Indiana. He completed 10-of-20 pass attempts for 110 passing yards and one interception against the Hoosiers. He also ran for 25 yards on eight attempts.
Tucker hasn’t revealed much this season so it’s not surprising that he didn’t name a starter on Tuesday. We will have to wait until kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday to see who will get the first crack at trying to get MSU’s offense back on track.
