Northwestern linebacker Khalid Jones (44) and defensive back Bryce Jackson (22) pursue Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III (9) in the first half of a game on Sept. 3, 2021. Credit: Chris Sweda via TNS
Location: East Lansing, Michigan
2020 Record: 2-5
Head Coach: Mel Tucker
2021 Record So Far: 1-0
Record vs. OSU Since 2010: 3-7
What’s Happened So Far in 2021
The Spartans opened the regular season with a 38-21 win Friday over Big Ten foe Northwestern. Michigan State knifed through Pat Fitzgerald’s defense for 511 yards in total, with 326 of them coming on the ground. The Spartans got a stellar debut performance from junior running back and Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III, who ran for 264 yards on 23 carries, scoring four touchdowns. Walker became the first Michigan State running back since Le’Veon Bell to rush for more than 200 yards in a game, and the first Spartan to score four rushing touchdowns since Edwin Baker in 2010, helping earn Mel Tucker his third overall victory as head coach.
Key Offensive Player
Walker joined the Michigan State football program last spring and quickly bolstered onto the scene as one of the highly anticipated pieces in offensive coordinator Jay Johnson’s system. The junior transfer rushed for 1,158 yards over his two seasons as a Demon Deacon and ranked tied for third in the ACC in rushing touchdowns with 13, and eighth in rushing in 2020. His first game in the Green and White was a memorable one, averaging 11.5 yards per carry and finding the endzone four times. Expect him to continue to be a high-volume weapon in a strong skill-position core of players that includes redshirt junior wide receivers Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed, as well as redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne.
Key Defensive Player
Senior safety Xavier Henderson will stay a critical defensive back for the Michigan State defense, being the secondary’s only returning starter. The Pickerington Central alum is durable, having played in every game of his first three seasons. Henderson’s 139 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss are the most among active Spartans on the defensive side of the ball. Last year, he finished with 41 tackles —third on the team — and played 511 snaps, the most out of any defender. In the Spartans’ Week 1 victory over Northwestern, Henderson posted seven tackles with a pass break up, establishing himself as a strong open-field tackler and one of the more complete strong safeties in the conference.
Weaknesses
While there is optimism ahead of the 2021 season, there are still weaknesses that Tucker and his staff will need to address. On the offensive side of the ball, there still might not be a clear-cut starting quarterback. While Thorne started and shone in Week 1’s win, Temple graduate transfer Anthony Russo looms large after being the favorite to win the starting job coming into camp. With an inexperienced offensive line, either Thorne and Russo might have trouble in the backfield. On the defensive side of the ball, the Spartans lost key pieces in defensive tackle Naquan Jones, linebacker Antjuan Simmons, and cornerback Shakur Brown. Returning only seven players, MSU still has plenty of holes in defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton’s defense, especially in the pass rush, a group that only accounted for 12 sacks a year ago.
