No doubt about it, Kenneth Walker is the Heisman frontrunner

The transfer from Wake Forest has a permanent home in East Lansing after what he did to the Wolverines on Saturday

EAST LANSING, Mich. – No Michigan State player has ever won the Heisman Trophy, but after rushing for five touchdowns and nearly 200 yards against hated rival Michigan, junior tailback Kenneth Walker III is the frontrunner for college football’s most prestigious individual award.

Walker’s performance was the stuff of legend. It sits up there with the best a Spartan has ever had against the Wolverines.

Twenty-three carries. 197 yards. And yes, five rushing touchdowns.

“I don’t know what else I can say,” head coach Mel Tucker said of Walker. “This was a huge stage, the whole world’s watching, and you got a chance to see what type of player he is. Any recognition that he’s getting for Heisman consideration is well-deserved. He’s a difference-maker.”

Kenneth Walker didn’t have a “Heisman moment” in this game. The game itself was his moment. In the biggest game of the year, against the team this school wants to beat more than any other, every MSU touchdown on Saturday was scored by Walker.

A contender for the Heisman trophy? Nope, not good enough. He’s the front-runner. No doubt about it.

“I think you all see it,” wide receiver Jayden Reed told the media after the game, asked about Walker’s Heisman candidacy. “Actions speak louder than words, so you see it out there on field. He’s the best running back in the nation, in my opinion. He does it week in and week out. So, there’s nothing really to talk about. You see it out there on the field.”

Trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter, after a disastrous opening frame for the Spartans, Walker stopped the bleeding with a 27-yard run that found pay dirt.

“Three of his touchdowns today, I wasn’t expecting a huge play,” quarterback Payton Thorne said. “On the first one, we were in the huddle and I said, ‘Forget the red zone, let’s just score right here.’ And he did, so that was good.”

Later in the quarter, trailing 13-7, Walker finished off a six-play, 75-yard drive with an 8-yard run off the right tackle, diving towards the pylon and into the endzone.

The junior’s third rushing score came from just a couple yards out. Walker hit the pile at the goal line, kept those powerful legs of his moving, and willed his way to another score.

“The thing that was impressive today was that he had some tough yards today,” Tucker said. “He hit it up in there – sometimes it was three [yards], sometimes it was two, sometimes it was four. And then he did some of the things that difference-makers do – make guys miss – and then once he gets into the secondary, he’s out of the gate.”

That’s what Walker showed on his fourth touchdown carry – found his hole, made one or two guys miss, and flashed the breakaway speed once he reached the secondary.

Boom. 58 yards. Six points. Game tied at 30-30.

“The second one was not a home run play, but as you’ve seen with him, any play can be a home run,” Thorne said.

Tucker echoed his quarterback’s sentiments.

“Every time he touches the ball, he’s got a chance to do something special,” the head coach said. “When you have a guy like that, the offensive line – they’re going to strain, they’re going to finish, they’re going to believe. The tight ends and the receivers, they’re going to strain, they’re going to block. They know that he can pop one at any moment.”

The fifth, final and decisive touchdown came on a play like that. Right up the middle, with the offensive line executing their blocks to perfection – 23 yards to the house.

“His full capability was on display today,” Tucker said. “He can get the tough yards. He can be explosive.”

Walker had the game of his life on Saturday, and it adds to his already-impressive numbers on the season – 1,194 yards on 6.8 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns. His 149.3 rushing yards per game lead the nation.

“He’s a physical player, and in this conference, down the stretch, this time of year when you’re playing good teams, that’s when you need to be at your best,” Tucker said. “I think he showed what type of player he is today. The whole world was watching, and everyone wants to know if he’s going to be considered for the Heisman. In a game like this, you’ve got to produce and he was able to do that.”

Oh yes, Walker produced, and Heisman voters across the country certainly took notice.