EVANSTON, Ill. — It began with the answer to Michigan State football’s months-long quarterback question. And Payton Thorne quickly became a secondary story. Kenneth Walker III delivered exactly what Connor Heyward predicted a month ago: “Home run. Every time he touches the ball.”SHAWN WINDSOR: MSU dominates with run game, swag in eye-opening season openerAt least the first time, as Walker took a handoff from Thorne and ran 75 yards on the first play from scrimmage to set the tone immediately Friday night. His 264 yards on 23 carries and four scores revived a years-dormant run game, and Thorne played the game manager role effectively in leading the Spartans to a 38-21 victory over Northwestern. The Spartans host Youngstown State next Saturday (noon/Big Ten Network). BURNING QUESTIONS: Will Spartans beat U-M? Top breakout candidate? INSTANT REACTION: Michigan State’s additions sending a message to the Big Ten? Running WalkerGoing into the season, it had been 701 minutes and 24 seconds of football since an MSU running back scored a touchdown on the ground, a span of nearly 11½ games since Elijah Collins’ second TD of the game against Illinois in 2019. It took Walker 13 seconds to change that. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound junior showed the same sense for the end zone he showed at Wake Forest, where his 17 career rushing touchdowns over two seasons were more than the Spartans got from all running backs combined since 2018.[ MSU’s new additions send message to Big Ten: 2020 is a distant memory ]Walker got the ball on MSU’s first play of the season, then immediately cut toward fellow transfer Jarrett Horst (Arkansas State) at left tackle and picked up key blocks from Heyward and receiver Jayden Reed. A juke froze Northwestern safety Bryce Jackson, and Walker cut outside and blasted up the lakeside sideline and headed south with a burst, like he wouldn’t be stopped until he reached the bleachers at Wrigley Field. On the second drive, Walker carried five more times for 28 yards to become the first Spartan to run for 100 yards since Collins did it against Rutgers in 2019. And Walker punctuated a 10-play, 74-yard drive with another jump cut to freeze the defense from 3 yards out and make it 14-0. In the third quarter, after the Wildcats had scored near the end of the first half to make it a two-score game agian and driven deep into MSU territory to open the second, the defense forced a second missed field goal, setting up another MSU drive. Walker finished that campaign off by going around the left end, diving for the pylon and a 5-yard score to make it 28-7. Northwestern again scored on a second Hunter Johnson-to-Trey Pugh touchdown pass with 11:17 remaining to bring the Spartans’ lead to two scores again. But Walker again flipped the field with a 50-yard burst and then converted a fourth-and-1 deep in Wildcats territory. It set up Matt Coghlin’s 37-yard field goal with 6:04 to play that essentially put the game away.
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