2. Season-opening 75-yard touchdown run vs. Northwestern
Michigan State opened the season with a road game at Northwestern and while everyone knew the Wildcats weren’t going to be as solid as they were in 2020 when they made the Big Ten title game. They were ranked in the top 10 at one point and even gave Ohio State quite the fight in the title game but they lost a lot of talent from that squad.
Still, a night matchup at Northwestern to open the year after a 2-5 season was not ideal and it had the feel of a 50-50 toss-up game. But Kenneth Walker III set the tone right away.
He didn’t just set the tone for the game, but for the entire season.
On the first play of the game, he took a handoff, turned the corner on the defense, and sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown. That was the “yeah, he’s going to be pretty good” moment for the transfer running back.
Kenneth Walker vs Northwestern
— CFBLIVE247 (@CFBLive247_) September 4, 2021
(23 carries)
{264 rushing yards}
[4 rushing touchdowns]
Walker average 11.5 YPC
What an amazing debut from Walker and you can expect a huge season from Walker if this was any indication on how good he's going to be for MSU... pic.twitter.com/9nPw70fdZP
Although this wasn’t as long as the Rutgers run, I have this ranked ahead because of what it did for the team, and setting this tone for the season was huge. Confidence was through the roof after this run and the Spartans turned it into a victory and then a 10-win regular season.
This run was huge for Michigan State this year and it was one of Walker’s most iconic moments.