50 defining moments from the 2021 Michigan State football season: No. 4

Today means it is officially game week for Michigan State football. Only four days until the Spartans are on the field. Why not another K9 touchdown?

Welcome to the 47th edition of my Michigan State football series. Today marks moment No. 4 of the top 50 moments from the 2021 season. After day five featured the Spartans getting a breath of fresh life, day four will do the same. This time, Kenneth Walker III is the driving force behind sending the green and white to victory.

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. 4: Kenneth Walker III’s 58-yard TD run vs. Michigan

Why No. 4?

Michigan State football had already started their comeback in a slugfest against their bitter in-state rival. After Walker’s one-yard score (moment No. 28) and the ensuing two points to Tre Mosley (No. 25), the Spartans only trailed by eight. The Wolverines drove near midfield on their next possession but could not advance the ball further, and UM punter Brad Robbins dropped the ball inside the Spartan 15.

In a game of inches, the Spartans had two third-down conversions by less than a yard on their first two attempts at down No. 3 in the drive. After a Payton Thorne incompletion followed by a 7-yard option keeper, the Spartans looked at a third and three. Speaking of threes, Walker III, already at three touchdowns, remained in the game on this attempt. In a third and short, the Wolverines were stuck in a bind to defend the run or pass.

The Wolverines, with the No. 1 defense in the country at this point, by the way, came out in a hybrid front, with three linemen, as well as two stand-up edges, one on each side. In most situations, that would be enough to dissuade the run or stop it if the opposing team elected to pound the rock. Unfortunately for the maize and blue, Michigan State football and Walker were not normal opponents.

Walker proved he was the best running back in the country on this play. He took the handoff and was at full speed within two yards. Walker dodged a diving tackle attempt neatly and remained at top speed, cutting into the ground into a hole that any veteran running back could not miss. He then bounced out towards the sideline just enough to ruin a bad pursuit angle by Brad Hawkins, leaving the graduate safety grasping the air on his tackle attempt. He then just remains at top speed and wins the race to the end zone.

Walker was not known for many celebrations. Despite finding himself in the endzone so often, the running back would often flip the ball to the referee and wait for his teammates to catch up and celebrate with them. On this play, Walker raises an arm up to the crowd after his touchdown, seeming to ask the packed crowd at Spartan Stadium “are you not entertained?”

This play brought the crowd back into the game in full force. The following two-point conversion (No. 18), with Jayden Reed Moss-ing a defender, drove the crowd into more of a frenzy. Michigan kicked a field goal on their next drive to retake the lead, but everyone in the crowd knew that a Michigan State win was inevitable.

After three third downs in one drive, the Spartans managed to score on a play of nearly 60 yards. I do not believe statistics are recorded for moments like these, but I have to imagine a situation like this Spartan drive occurs often. This comes before you factor in the final first down of the drive was nearly intercepted. One of the weirdest drives in football history comes to a great end courtesy of Walker being a beast.

On this play, the offensive line and tight ends deserve an amazing amount of credit. Besides one player leaking through the back side of the play, the vaunted Wolverine front seven were completely neutralized on this play. Watching this play, it looks very likely that the only person to touch Walker during it was Thorne when he handed the ball off. Walker made the offensive line look good many times last season, but this play was one of the best-blocked plays I have seen in a long time. The blocks all held up just long enough to leave their defenders effectively useless or diving at the imaginary dust cloud trailing Walker.

Speaking of Walker, he deserves a lot of credit as well. While not as flashy as moment No. 7, where he cut back and crossed through the Nebraska defense, today’s moment highlights Walker’s vision and speed. Walker did not hesitate from the second he grabbed the ball. The only person to stop K9 on this play was the end zone grass of Spartan Stadium. Walker found the hole easily and powered through it. Any Wolverine trying to catch up to him was unsuccessful, with Walker looking every bit of the part of a sub-4.40 running back.

Walker still has one more moment left in this series, so there will not be any tears shed or discussions of his greatness, yet. Give me a few more days.

While this was easily one of the best plays of the season (hence No. 4), there are a few reasons why it cannot quite crack the top three. To begin, the Wolverines would instantly take the lead back the next drive, hurting the argument that this put the team away. Secondly, the amount of clutch-ness seen in the next three plays is at a whole different level. Finally, this play came only a few minutes into the fourth quarter, which is by far the most amount of time left in a game of my entire top five in the series.

Statistically, this was Walker’s fourth touchdown of the game, as well as his longest rush in the game. This contributed to him winning the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Week for his efforts. It was his 14th touchdown of the season, as well as his second game where he had recorded four or more rushing touchdowns. Not bad for a player rated lower than the Michigan duo by PFF.

Tomorrow, the Spartan defense returns. There were two clutch interceptions by the Spartans this season, and I’ll leave you to wonder which of these is lucky No. 3. Until next time.