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Michigan State Football: Midseason report card for 2021 Spartans

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan State's Jayden Reed, left, celebrates his touchdown against Nebraska with teammate Jalen Nailor during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.210925 Msu Nebraska 124a
Michigan State's Jayden Reed, left, celebrates his touchdown against Nebraska with teammate Jalen Nailor during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.210925 Msu Nebraska 124a /
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Oct 2, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Running Backs: A

How could we give Kenneth Walker III and the run game any other grade than an A?

While this is primarily a one-man show, Jordon Simmons has a 100-yard game under his belt and Elijah Collins showed some promise on a couple of plays when he was healthy.

The staff seems to like what they have in Harold Joiner as well as he got more touches against Rutgers last week than he had all season.

But Walker III has been masterful despite not having great blocking in front of him. He leads the nation with 913 yards and he also leads the country in yards after contact and broken tackles. He has been one of the nation’s most elusive backs and it’s the reason he’s a serious Heisman contender. I could sit here and talk about Walker all day, but I’m actually going to watch some highlights instead.

Yeah, he’s pretty good.

Simmons has 183 yards and is averaging 4.9 per carry and the aforementioned Joiner has six carries for 26 yards. Donovan Eaglin has six carries for 33 yards and Collins has three rushes for 32 yards.

This group has been more than effective.

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