Will Michigan State Running Back Kenneth Walker III Lead the Spartans Past the Buckeyes?

Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III needs to produce another outstanding game to help pull the upset over Ohio State.

Marc Miceli | Nov 19, 2021

Two top Big 10 teams face off this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio in what appears to be a very likely high-scoring game between two of the best teams in the country, and there's one key player that everyone knows he must produce for the Spartans to defeat the Buckeyes.

The reason this member of the Spartans must be very successful stems from the Buckeyes' offensive potency.

Ohio State is the No. 1 scoring offense in the FBS, and Michigan State is ranked No. 26. Defensively, the Spartans have given up 443.8 yards per game, and the Buckeyes have given up 368.8 yards per game. For Michigan State to keep up with the No. 1 scoring offense, they will need to establish the running game early and often. That's the primary point of today's discussion.

Can Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III produce big yardage despite Ohio State knowing he will get the football? The Buckeyes definitely have more talent than the Spartans, and it will be a challenge for Walker to bust loose. There are signs that could happen, however.

Kenneth Walker III Michigan State — Kenneth Walker III rushed 23 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns versus Michigan :: Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Looking back at the Buckeyes’ only loss of the season against the Oregon Ducks, something that stuck out was Oregon’s ability to run the ball effectively. Against the Buckeyes, the Ducks were led by junior running back CJ Verdell, who rushed for 161 yards, two rushing touchdowns, averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Michigan State will look to follow a similar blueprint with their Heisman hopeful at running back.

In the Spartans’ first game of the season, they traveled to Evanston, Illinois, to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Walker had 23 carries 264 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Seeing a game like this from Michigan State proved that Michigan State's offense will operate through Walker.

Coming into this week’s matchup, Walker's rushing statistics this season are 227 carries, 1,473 yards, and 17 touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.5 yards per carry this season, as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson continues to give him opportunities each game. Besides Michigan State's blowout win against Youngstown State, Walker has had over 19 carries in each game this season.

Another statistic to note about Walker is his ball security. This season, he has only fumbled once in Michigan State’s only loss against the Purdue Boilermakers during Michigan State’s first drive of the game.

If Walker plays well, especially early in the game, it will change not only how Michigan State operates its offense, but also change some of the personnel and defensive play calls for Ohio State.

Most importantly for the Spartans, Walker's running ability will open up play-action passes for sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne and their wide receivers. For Michigan State to keep up with the high-powered offense of Ohio State, that's almost a must.

Michigan State averages 251.1 yards passing per game, and much of those results stemmed from Walker's ability to bring safeties and linebackers closer to the line of scrimmage.

Will Walker's talent and Michigan State's overall running game schemes be enough to offset the talent disparity between these two teams? Will will find out Saturday at noon EST.