50 defining moments from the 2021 Michigan State football season: No. 35

We are now into the top 35 plays of the 2021 Michigan State football season, and why not use a Kenneth Walker III play again? There are so many to choose from.

Welcome back to day 16 of the 50 defining moments of the 2021 Michigan State football season. Friday marks five weeks until the Spartans play Western Michigan to open the 2022 campaign.

Today, I will highlight the breakout superstar of last season: Kenneth Walker III.

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. 35: Kenneth Walker III’s 6-yard TD run vs. Northwestern

Video: ESPN

This was his fourth-quarter touchdown, for purposes of clarity.

Why No. 35?

This play is a lot like yesterday’s moment, a final touchdown to officially put the game out of reach. Walker had been destroying the Wildcats the entire game, and this final touchdown was the punctuation mark on his phenomenal game. It officially pushed the Spartan margin of victory to three possessions after the pesky Wildcats had made it a 10-point game with just under two and a half minutes to play.

Michigan State football came into Northwestern with a lot of questions and left with a lot of answers. After not having a running back rush for a touchdown in 2021, the Spartans had a star at that position with four touchdowns to his name after the first contest.

I chose to slot this play right here because the Northwestern game never really felt close, but this touchdown provided a little bit more breathing room. More importantly, this added to Walker’s video game-like stats, giving him his fourth touchdown on the first day of the Michigan State football season. This helped kick off a campaign for the junior running back that ultimately ended with multiple awards, honors, and a new spot up in Seattle as their second-round draft pick.

On this play, Walker had to juke out multiple defenders in the backfield, then burst into a hole that did not even exist, finishing off a six-yard run by diving into the end zone. If this play had occurred with any player on the Spartans roster except K9, it would be a two-yard loss. Instead, it’s six points. The amount of effort Walker put into each player and his movement in the backfield will desperately be missed this next season.

On the final drive, the Northwestern Wildcats elected for sportsmanship, running out the clock as opposed to trying to nab three touchdowns in under 90 seconds. While not the last play of the game, this moment certainly was a game-ender.

Statistically, this was Walker’s fourth touchdown of the game and his final carry in a 264-yard monster debut. This, along with his many other plays from the game, earned him the Maxwell Award national player of the week for week one.

I rated this play higher than Reed’s touchdown run for a few reasons. Walker took this monster game and turned it into multiple awards at the end of the season, as well as the aforementioned player of the week honor. Additionally, it answered questions the Spartans had at the running back position.

In a way, this game and effort by K9 would set up Reed’s touchdown run, as that occurred on a play-action end around. This said, I cannot rate it any higher, as Northwestern was not the strongest opponent of the Michigan State campaign by any means. Additionally, a three-possession victory was not remotely close to the smallest margin of victory in the 2021 MSU season.

Tomorrow, the all-time leader in Michigan State points will be featured for the first time in the series.