Michigan State football: Payton Thorne isn’t Big Ten’s best QB, but he’s close

If there’s one person who has been surprisingly impressive for Michigan State football this season, it’s Payton Thorne.

In a new column from The Athletic, Michigan State writer Nick Baumgardner highlights ways that both the Spartans, as well as even Michigan, have rewritten narratives this season, and both have come out undefeated. Both are ranked in the top 10. Both are ready to collide, probably as 7-0 teams, when they meet on Oct. 30.

As far as the rest of the team, Kenneth Walker III has been a significant bright spot for the Spartans, getting a serious Heisman campaign going in week 6 of the season. He’s No. 1 according to ESPN’s Heisman fan voting, ahead of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. Fan voting can often seem like a popularity contest; he has 83 percent of the vote and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett is No. 2.

Michigan State’s defense has also improved drastically since week one against Northwestern. Their front seven have shown they have depth, even without linebacker Cal Haladay in the first half of their game against Rutgers.

Michigan State football is lucky to have a QB like Payton Thorne

In Baumgardner’s piece, he elaborates on just how good Payton Thorne has been. His passer rating is second-highest in the Big Ten, only behind Ohio State’s CJ Stroud.

Highlighting his pocket presence, his football IQ, and the way he carries this offense, it’s easy to see just how great he’s been. If he keeps this up and moves this into next year, Michigan State could have two back-to-back Heisman candidacies on the agenda.

At the Lansing State Journal, Graham Couch outlines all the ways that Thorne is off to the best start of any quarterback in Michigan State history. If we compare Thorne’s first season to Drew Stanton’s in 2005, it isn’t far off.

Through six games in 2005, Stanton had 1,806 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions. The Spartans, at the time, were 4-2 off of a rough loss to Ohio State. Payton Thorne’s Spartans are 6-0 with victories against Miami and Northwestern, Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State still to come.

He has 1,575 passing yards, the second-highest passer rating in the Big Ten (behind Stroud), 14 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.

Saturday Tradition’s Tyler Fangman says that Thorne’s ability to spread the field is on a “historic pace,” noting his five touchdown passes of 60-plus yards. It’s the most of any FBS quarterback since 2003.

We’re big fans of Thorne, too. Our site expert Connor Muldowney published a piece giving the Spartans’ quarterback considerable generosity when compared to past gunslingers like Kirk Cousins, Connor Cook, or Brian Lewerke.

It’s true that Michigan State has relied heavily on great plays from Jayden Reed, Jalen Nailor, and Kenneth Walker III, along with awesome defense. One of the biggest reasons for the Spartans’ success this year is outstanding play from Thorne. And he’s only a sophomore.

If we see more of this from Thorne, he has the ability to move Michigan State to heights they never imagined.