50 defining moments from 2021 Michigan State football season: No. 49

Welcome back to the second edition of 50 defining plays of the 2021 Michigan State football season. Today will highlight a familiar face to MSU fans.

Welcome back to this series and the second day. There are officially 49 days until Michigan State kicks off its 2022 campaign against the Western Michigan Broncos.

For those who missed the first edition of the series, please click here for No. 50. 

Now, here’s No. 49.

No. 49: Kenneth Walker III’s 5-yard TD run against Northwestern

Video clip of play: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=32142975

Game 1: 38-21 win at Northwestern

Why No. 49?

Yes, I know, it only took me until the second day to add a Kenneth Walker III play to this list.

For those of you who are confused, this was his third touchdown run against the Wildcats. It can be hard to keep that straight when your running back rushes for 250-plus yards and four touchdowns on one team. And to think, a bold prediction was Walker III surpassing only 100 yards.

This was part of an explosive game in which the Spartans showed the 2020 campaign was well behind them. The main difference between those two campaigns, you might ask? Kenneth Walker III. He finished with 264 yards in this game and never looked back, winning the Doak Walker Award at the end of the season.

This win energized Michigan State football and brought the next Spartan star into the spotlight. It announced that Michigan State was back, and not in a “Texas is back” way either.

While this play was wonderful and is part of my favorite Michigan State games to watch, this was a two-touchdown victory on the road when the Spartans had no expectations for the season ahead. Additionally, besides the Superman dive at the end, this is not a play that stands out with a “wow” factor. Walker had many more “wow” moments and this one will most likely end up overlooked.

The game against Northwestern was a 17-point victory, but as someone watching that night, it never even felt that close. Northwestern was overwhelmed by the Spartans and, more accurately, No. 9 on offense. This moment set up the magic but did not define the season in a close contest like you will see in plays higher up in the list.