Michigan State RB Nate Carter Finally Has 2024 Breakout
After a productive first season in East Lansing last season, many college football experts had high expectations for Michigan State running back Nate Carter.
However, Michigan State was bringing in a new coaching staff and offense this season. They also added multiple new faces on the offensive side of the ball. Naturally, these things undoubtedly impacted Carter, and he did not have the expected first half of the season.
The Spartans also played two of the best teams in the country before their bye week and fell into large deficits. This meant the Spartans could not afford to run the ball when trying to come back from significant double-digit deficits. However, that changed on Saturday against Michigan, as he was featured heavily in the offense in a close game.
Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith credited Carter with playing a significant role in the team's win.
"Yeah, he was a spark,” Smith said. “Ran it well. Made some plays catching the ball. I think about that late one on the last drive there, kind of a low catch, stays up, breaks a tackle, gets it all the way down, I think about to the 20. He played really well tonight."
Carter ran the ball 19 times for 118 yards and a touchdown against Michigan. That is more yards than he ran for in the team's previous four games combined. He was a vital part of Michigan State dominating the time of possession battle. The Spartans won the time-of-possession battle by nearly 15 minutes and still lost the game.
Smith and the Spartans may be disappointed with losing such a close game to their archrival, but they must keep the big picture in mind. They have already matched their win total from last season and have all but put every team in the Big Ten on notice that Michigan State will soon be one of the better teams in the conference.
As Michigan State prepares for the final four games of the season, it must continue to lean on the talent that is on the roster. The Spartans may have come up short against the Wolverines on Saturday, but there is no denying that they are on the right track. It will be up to Smith, Carter and the rest of Michigan State's team to make sure the Spartans reach as many of their remaining goals as possible.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.