Numerous Spartans made their Michigan State debut on Friday night but none were bigger than running back Kenneth Walker III.
Walker — who transferred to Michigan State from Wake Forest in the offseason — had a monster season-opener on Friday to lead the Spartans to a 38-21 victory over Northwestern. Walker recorded 264 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries, and was by far the best player on the field.
Walker’s incredible performance on Friday night was a recording-setting debut, with Walker racking up the most rushing yards in a season-opener in school history. Walker was also the first Big Ten running back to record 250-plus rushing yards and four touchdowns since former Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon did so in 2014.
Here are some other notable stat nuggets from Walker’s debut:
✅ First to run for 3 TDs since @JeremyLangford
✅ First to eclipse 200 yards since @LeVeonBell
✅ Most rushing yards (224) in an opener (since 1945) pic.twitter.com/15lvCATWPh— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) September 4, 2021
Kenneth Walker III is the first Big Ten player with 250+ rush yds and 4+ rush TD in a game since Melvin Gordon in 2014.
He is just the 2nd player in Michigan State history to do this, joining Eric Allen in 1971 vs Purdue. https://t.co/K7JLIP5sm5
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 4, 2021
Don’t expect Walker to have this kind of game every week, but it’s safe to say the Spartans have a great running back on their roster this season.
