Michigan State football: Can Kenneth Walker III still win the Heisman?

Despite the betting odds, Michigan State football running back Kenneth Walker III was the clear Heisman frontrunner. Until playing the Spartans, Ohio State had not had a win against a currently-ranked Top 25 team.

From the Buckeyes’ perspective, they have their own Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback CJ Stroud, who just had an amazing game against the worst pass defense in FBS. He was 32-for-35 with 432 passing yards and six touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Walker, his Heisman slip may have been taken away.

Even with better numbers, Michigan State football may have let Walker’s Heisman slip away

When the Heisman voters submit their choices for the trophy in December, there are a number of factors they look at. For instance, how did players perform in their biggest moments? Against Michigan, Kenneth Walker III had five touchdowns. That bodes well.

Against Michigan State, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud had a massive game. That’s his Heisman moment, and of course, how he plays against Michigan will certainly be under a microscope. So far, he may be the frontrunner.

This year, Walker had 1,473 rushing yards entering this Saturday’s game, only behind Central Michigan’s freshman running back Lew Nichols. He’s first in nearly every rushing statistic. Compare that with CJ Stroud or Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Neither are in the top five in passing yards.

Some would argue that Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe deserves some praise in Heisman voting. He leads FBS in passing yards, with some thanks to the Hilltopper’s air raid offensive style.

Some would argue that this game may be an outlier for Michigan State’s running back. With a better offensive line, who knows what Walker could do? If Michigan State finishes their regular season at 10-2, all of it can be attributed to Walker’s performance.

Without him, Michigan State is a 7-5 team, at best. They were predicted to go 6-6 or worse; the over/under on wins for them was 4. Considering Michigan State’s defense, it’s easy to believe. This is the worst defensive secondary I’ve ever seen from a major football program.

If the Spartans do end up losing to Penn State next weekend, maybe reconsider giving the Heisman to Walker. If Walker ends up with another big moment in a big game, the Heisman should be his.

Going forward, the question will be how much they value Walker’s game against Michigan, despite his performance against Ohio State. He had some moments, but he didn’t play the second half since Michigan State was out of the game from the start.

Is Kenneth Walker III still the Heisman frontrunner? The line is far more blurry than it was entering Saturday, but if you ask me, it’s still in Walker’s grasp.