East Lansing, Mich. — Temporary host Will Tieman got an early-access interview with Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker before Tucker left on another recruiting visit Thursday night. That interview was replayed on the radio show while Tucker was away.

Here’s what was discussed.

For a Michigan State team as decimated by injuries as this one has been, the bye week couldn't have come at a more ideal time.

Tucker said the team is looking forward to a handful of players returning after the two-week break.

“We’re looking to get healthier,” Tucker said. “We got some guys back for the Wisconsin game, which helps us tremendously. And hopefully we're looking to get more guys back, as many as five or six guys back that have been out, some for an extended period of time, and a couple of guys, maybe just for the most recent games.

“It’s a time to get better as a football team in terms of the X’s and O’s, and the execution, technique and fundamentals. But it’s also a time to get healthy so that we can have as many able players that we can possibly have going into this game against the school down the road.”

Managing the recovery period while maintaining an intense practice routine is something that Tucker and the staff have kept in mind since the Wisconsin game. They haven’t eased up on the focus-level at practice, but the physicality has decreased a bit.

“We’re certainly not off,” Tucker said. “We practiced Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We’ve introduced the school down the road to our players in terms of game planning. It was very focused, very intense. Not a lot of hitting, but we're playing fast and we’re getting after it, working to get better, get the gameplan in.”

Outside of practice, Tucker has been on a plane, using the extra time to recruit on a national scale.

“From a coaching standpoint, recruiting is in full effect during the bye week,” Tucker said. “I went out Monday, was in the state of Alabama, the state of Georgia, the state of Florida on Monday. And then going out on the road here on Friday and we’re going to hit Florida again. We’re seeing some really good players. Our coaching staff is fanning out across the country, locally and nationally.”

Tucker went out with a few players to volunteer at local charities while he’s been home this week.

“Darien Harris does a great job making sure that our players are organized and focused on the community service aspect,” Tucker said. “We have assignments throughout the week and we just serve our community. I was at the Boys and Girls Club with some players on Wednesday evening. We distributed some bicycles there and talked to the kids. Our offensive line was there earlier in the week. And so we’re fanning out across our community, looking to serve and just be very visible and be involved with our young people, as well as some of our more experienced Spartans, at some of these assisted living facilities and things like that.”

Spartans and Wolverines alike know what’s at stake next weekend. Tucker isn’t one to shy away from the gravity of the annual matchup, either.

“It’s not just another game for us,” Tucker said. “It’s never been that way and will never be just another game. It’s the biggest game of the year for us. And our players understand that, the staff understands that and our fans understand that. There’s a different type of buzz in here this week.”

The win against Wisconsin came at a near-perfect time for the once-reeling Michigan State team. Motivation is at a high heading into the matchup in Ann Arbor, but Michigan State plans to keep working.

“We can’t be seduced by success,” offensive tackle Spencer Brown said on the show. “We just have to keep working. This is really the most important week. We get a two-week head start to go into the biggest game of the season, so I’m excited.”

Brown was asked if he was ready for the upcoming schedule.

“Is the sky blue? I think we’re ready,” Brown said. “We’re ready to keep this thing rolling, man.”

Tucker made sure to acknowledge his team’s win against Wisconsin last Saturday, one that broke a four-game losing streak and saw starters Xavier Henderson and Jacob Slade return from injury.

“I was very proud of our team,” Tucker said. “The coaches, the support staff and all of the players, just really going into that game with intentional focus, staying together, believing in our process and playing four quarters of complimentary football and finding a way to win. I was very proud of our guys. It was a step in the right direction for us. Our crowd was great, it was homecoming, a Big Ten opponent, so it was a very important game for us. Just very gratifying seeing our guys continue to fight and stay together to get the win.”