EVANSTON, Ill. – Here are the Michigan State football players who helped or hurt their stock in the Spartans’ 38-21 win Friday at Northwestern.
Three up
RB Kenneth Walker III: The former Wake Forest running back delivered well beyond his advance billing. Starting with a 75-yard explosion for the Spartans’ first rushing touchdown by a running back in nearly two years, Walker showed speed to the edge coupled with elite vision and shifty cutting ability to make defenders miss. His 264 yards were the most by an MSU running back since Le’Veon Bell’s 266 against Minnesota in 2012 and the seventh-most in school history, while his four rushing touchdowns equaled Edwin Baker’s total against the Gophers in 2010.