Now in his fifth year in the program, Michigan State starting left guard J.D. Duplain is a team leader who the younger players on the team can look to for guidance during a turbulent time.

Duplain, who was one of three players to represent Michigan State at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis prior to the start of the 2023 season and named a game captain this past week versus Maryland, is doing his best to keep himself and his teammates focused now and for the remainder of the current campaign.

By now, everybody knows about the situation with head coach Mel Tucker in which he was initially suspended amidst sexual harassment allegations brought against him by Brenda Tracy. Currently, the university is in the process of terminating Tucker's contract for cause, which, as expected, Tucker is fighting.

On the field, Michigan State has suffered two-straight 20-plus-point losses to Washington and Maryland, respectively.

Now, the players are doing their best to move forward under the tutelage of acting head coach Harlon Barnett. Duplain, and many of the other players such as wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. and center Nick Samac, have spoken about the importance of staying together as a team and fighting through adversity.

"Everyone goes through adversity," Duplain said on Monday. "Everyone's gone through it at some point in their lives, and it's really about how you handle it. We're at a point where we've had some adversity, but we're going to work our best to handle it the best we can. And everyone's bought in, everyone understands.

"I mean, we've been working for this season since January, so we're not going to let anything get in our way. And no one's going to quit, and we're going to keep working every day to get better. It's just all about how you handle adversity, and I mean, we're all locked in, handling it the best we can."

The coaching staff has shown the players multiple examples of NFL teams that got off to rough starts and eventually went on to play in or win Super Bowls. Duplain noted that inspired the team, and that the Spartans still have a lot of goals left to accomplish this season.

Being able to accomplish any of those remaining objectives starts this weekend in a road matchup versus Iowa, which will be MSU's first away game of the year.

"It's motivating," Duplain said about seeing examples of teams starting slow and finishing strong. "It's not (about how) you start, it's about how you finish. And right now, we're just focused on Iowa. They're a great team. We get to have our first away game, which will be different for some guys that haven't been on the road with us yet.

"But, seeing teams come back from a tough start and having success in their season, it motivates us, and it makes us realize, 'Hey, we've still got a lot to play for.' And we understand that and everyone's bought into that. We have a ton to play for still. And it just starts with getting back this week and preparing for Iowa."

While it will be the first road test of the season for the Spartans, Duplain believes that after four-straight road games, playing in a new venue and in a different atmosphere could help galvanize the team in some way.

"It's gonna be a good environment there," Duplain said about playing at Iowa. "It's gonna be fun to play there. I know they've got a great tradition there. So, we're all excited to hit the road for the first time, get out there and play somewhere different for a lot of guys. I played there a couple of years ago. It was COVID, so it will be a little different environment. There was no one there when I played. But, yeah, everyone's just excited for this week. We're ready to get going."