50 defining moments from 2021 Michigan State football season: No. 48

Today marks 48 days until Michigan State opens its season, and is the third play in this series. Today, we look at another Kenneth Walker III touchdown.

Today marks 48 days until Michigan State football opens its season, and is the third play in this defining moments from 2021 series.

For previous days, please click on my profile or use this link for No. 49, posted on July 15.

No. 48: Kenneth Walker III’s 5-yard TD run vs. WKU

Game 5: 48-31 win vs. Western Kentucky

Another day, another Kenneth Walker III touchdown. I promise tomorrow will not be a K9 play, so stick with me.

Video link: Ironically, Walker had multiple 5-yard touchdowns in this game alone, the one that I am highlighting is his second-quarter run, posted here.

Why No. 48?

While this play was exciting, with K9 hurdling a defender, stiff-arming another, and barely breaking the plane, it was a 17-point victory against a Group of Five team. This play gave the Spartans a two-possession lead that they would never relinquish for the rest of the game.

Being one touchdown out of the 42-point first half for the Spartans, this appeared to be well on the way to an easy victory for the Spartans.

The Hilltoppers, however, had other plans. On top of being a win against a Group of Five team, it was an underwhelming second half of the game, where Tucker’s team only put up six points, and that left a bitter taste in the Spartan faithful’s mouths. While this is certainly not Walker’s fault in the slightest, it lowers the ranking of this play. Additionally, while the second half was underwhelming, it was still a three-possession victory for Michigan State.

This was the second of Walker’s three touchdowns against the Hilltoppers, helping raise his stock in the race for postseason awards. The fervor of Michigan State’s homecoming game certainly raises my opinion of this play.

This play certainly contained a “wow” factor but lacked the lasting impact for me to rate it higher than No. 48 on my list. When I was making final edits, this play was nearly cut, but remembering the sheer amount of “wow, he just did that” when watching the game helped put it on my final list.

If you want a hint for tomorrow, there was certainly a “wow” factor in the play.