Grinz on Green Blog: Kings Showcases His All-Purpose Skills
9/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist | @GrinzOnGreen
EAST LANSING - - Michigan State wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. wasn't looking for another breakout game.
That came early last season with a five-catch, 94-yard, one-touchdown performance in MSU's defining, 26-14, Big Ten-opening win at Iowa. Kings went on to finish the season as the Spartans' second-leading receiver with 43 catches for 513 yards and three scores.
This past offseason, Kings was being looked to for even bigger and better things until he was suspended during spring practice for disciplinary reasons. He was reinstated for preseason camp, but a slow start (three catches, 21 yards) in the Spartans' first two games kept him under the radar.
Kings reclaimed his title as MSU's resident gamebreaker with a 21.6-yards-per-touch average in Saturday's 73-14 victory against Eastern Michigan in Spartan Stadium.
His 43-yard punt return set up the Spartans' first touchdown. He rushed for 36 yards on two sweeps - including one for 23 yards - giving him more rushing yardage in one game than he had (24) on five previous career carries. He ended the game with 108 all-purpose yards, which meant he advanced the ball more than any other Spartan in the game.
"I'd call it reestablishment and getting back into the groove of things," Kings said. "It felt good being out there, getting the ball in my hands and just making plays. It felt good getting back to the norm and doing what I used to do.
"Just getting back out there and having fun again - I had fun today."
Michigan State went into the game feeling Kings could exploit the Eastern Michigan defense.
"We were just running jet sweeps and we knew the middle of the field was going to be open against them, so we just tried to hit passes over the middle," he said. "They gave me a couple jet sweeps and I just made the most of it."
It doesn't matter to Kings if he gets the ball via a pass or a handoff.
"As long as it touches my hands, I'm trying to take it for six, whether it's a pass, jet sweep or swing pass out of the backfield," he said.
Kings has the potential to fill the niche played to perfection by Keshawn Martin from 2010-11.
"Keshawn was a great player here and being compared to him is a great honor," Kings said. "If they say I'm the closest thing to Keshawn Martin on the team, I'll take it. He has big shoes to fill, still, and it's an honor to be mentioned with him."
