50 defining moments from the 2021 Michigan State football season: No. 36

Day 15 brings Michigan State football back to Miami for their early season matchup against the Hurricanes. Jayden Reed was enjoying his day in the sun.

Welcome back to day 15 of the 50 defining moments of the 2021 Michigan State football season. This series is officially over two weeks old and today will highlight one of Jayden Reed’s better plays of the season.

For those of you who missed yesterday’s article, please click here. If you would like to look at previous articles of this series, feel free to scroll through my writing profile.

No. 36: Jayden Reed’s 9-yard TD run vs. Miami

Video: ESPN

Not to be confused with his receiving touchdown, Jayden Reed also ran the ball in for a score in this early-season matchup.

Why No. 36?

This play is one of my personal favorites of the 2021 campaign. Jayden Reed takes the ball on an end around and follows Connor Heyward to the end zone, with the future Pittsburgh Steeler making two huge blocks in the final five yards to bring the receiver in for the score.

Reed was viewed as a candidate to make the leap in 2021, with him reuniting with his high school quarterback, Payton Thorne, but no one could have planned for how impactful he was. He single-handedly won the Spartans a few games this year. If Michigan State football did not have a generational talent in the backfield in Kenneth Walker III, Reed would be the hero of the 2021 season.

This play capped off a 21-point final quarter for the Spartans, driving home the emphatic victory for the green and white. After a Ronald Williams interception put the Spartans on the edge of the Miami red zone, Jay Johnson only needed a few play calls to put this game away officially.

One of the reasons I love this play so much is that it reminds me of the peak Michigan State football moments from the last decade. This play had the execution that the Spartans utilized in the 2013-2015 years. Instead of the end of Mark Dantonio’s tenure, where we all joked about the short side jet sweeps to players who certainly were not speed threats, this play was delivered with the offensive execution not seen since we had RJ Shelton running the ball on sweeps and end arounds. Additionally, the usage of Heyward as a blocker instead of the decoy running the ball represents the change that this program made under Mel Tucker and Johnson.

I cannot rate this play higher because it was a score that put the game away but in terms of making a comeback nearly impossible. This was an excellent run with excellent blocks, but it made the game a three-possession affair. Reed had a knack for finishing off opponents, as there are a few more of his walk-offs and go-ahead plays left to cover in the series.

Statistically, this would be Reed’s second touchdown of the game and only rushing touchdown of the year, as the receiver rushed the ball all of seven times in the 2021 Michigan State football season. It did contribute to his top-10 finish in the Big Ten in touchdowns from scrimmage as well for the 2021 campaign.

If you would like a hint for tomorrow, the Spartans will be playing in another early-season road game with a back-breaking touchdown.