No. 20 Spartans Host Nebraska Saturday Night for Stripe the Stadium

Game 4: No. 20/21 Michigan State (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Nebraska (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 25
Kickoff: 7:10 p.m. EDT
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Stadium: Spartan Stadium (74,866)
Surface: Natural Grass
Promotion: Stripe the Stadium
Tickets: msuspartans.com
Live Stats: msuspartans.com
Parking: Parking lots will be open at 1 p.m. | Parking Information

TV: FS1
Mobile: FOX Sports app
Announcers: Cory Provus (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)

Radio: Spartan Media Network | Affiliate Listings
Play-by-Play: George Blaha
Analyst: Jason Strayhorn
Sidelines: Steve Courtney
Broadcast Host: Will Tieman
Website/Mobile: msuspartans.com/MSU Spartans app/Tune In radio
Flagship Stations: Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM)/WJIM (1240 AM); Detroit: WJR (760 AM); Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)
Affiliates: 30 affiliates listed at msuspartans.com
Satellite: Sirius (Ch. 83), XM (Ch. 83), SiriusXM app (Ch. 83)
Pre-game Show: Begins at 5:30 p.m.

All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 9-2
Series in East Lansing: Nebraska leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: Nebraska 9, MSU 6 (2018)
Current Series Streak: 2 by Nebraska

COACHES:
MSU Head Coach: Mel Tucker
MSU Record: 5-5 (second year)
Overall Record: 10-12 (third year)
Record vs. Nebraska: 1-0

Nebraska Head Coach: Scott Frost
Nebraska Record: 14-22 (fourth year)
Overall Record: 33-29 (sixth year)
Record vs. MSU: 1-0

FIRST-AND-10 –
• Michigan State returns to Big Ten action on Saturday, Sept. 25 to host Nebraska for the annual "Stripe the Stadium" game in Spartan Stadium at 7 p.m. as part of "Celebrate 2021" Weekend. The Spartans entered the national rankings this week after defeating then-No. 24 Miami last Saturday in Hard Rock Stadium, 38-17, to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2015. MSU is ranked No. 20 in The Associated Press Poll and No. 21 in the USA TODAY/AFCA Coaches Poll. Nebraska (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) lost at No. 3/3 Oklahoma, 23-16, last Saturday. Michigan State is 16-7 overall in night games at Spartan Stadium.

• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III, a transfer from Wake Forest, is having a dynamic start to the season. Walker leads the FBS in rushing (493 yards; 164.3 ypg) and also ranks second in the FBS in yards per carry (8.7), third in all-purpose yards (170.0 ypg), sixth in total touchdowns (6) and ninth in rushing TDs (5) and scoring (12.0 ppg). His 89.1 grade by Pro Football Focus ranks No. 2 in the country for running backs. He had a record-setting debut as a Spartan, rushing for a career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in school history – while scoring a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Spartans past Northwestern on Sept. 3. It marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White. Walker became just the second Spartan to record more than 250 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the same game (Eric Allen, school-record 350 yards and four TDs vs. Purdue on Oct. 30, 1971). Walker was back at it in the victory at Miami, compiling 172 yards on the ground on 27 carries (6.4 avg.) while also catching three passes for 17 yards, including his first career TD reception on a 7-yard screen pass in the second quarter. Walker is averaging 218.0 rushing yards per game against FBS opponents this season (264 vs. Northwestern; 172 vs. Miami).

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the conference office on Monday and was also recognized as one of the Davey O'Brien Award's Great 8 performances of Week 3. Thorne became just the second Spartan quarterback in school history, joining Connor Cook, to throw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games during MSU's 38-17 victory at then-No. 24 Miami last Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. Thorne threw for a career-high four TDs in the Week 2 win over Youngstown State, and matched that effort against the Hurricanes by completing 18-of-31 passes for 261 yards and four more touchdowns. Cook threw for four TDs in consecutive games against Indiana and Nebraska in 2015.

• Saturday's game marks the 12th meeting between Michigan State and Nebraska. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 9-2, including a 2-1 record in games played in Spartan Stadium. MSU is 2-4 against Nebraska in Big Ten games. In the last meeting on Nov. 17, 2018, Nebraska beat MSU, 9-6, in Lincoln. This marks Nebraska's first trip to East Lansing since 2014, a 27-22 victory for the Spartans.

• Five of MSU head coach Mel Tucker's 10 wins as a head coach have come against AP Top 25 opponents (2021: No. 24 Miami; 2020: No. 11 Northwestern and No. 13 Michigan; 2019: No. 25 Nebraska and No. 24 Arizona State at Colorado). Tucker is 5-4 overall against AP Top 25 opponents (2-2 at Colorado; 3-2 at MSU). He became the first Spartan head coach to defeat a ranked team (AP No. 11 Northwestern) in his first home win.

• Mel Tucker is 1-0 in his coaching career against Nebraska head coach Scott Frost as Colorado beat the No. 25 Huskers in overtime, 34-31, in Boulder on Sept. 7, 2019, during Tucker's first season as a head coach.

• The Spartans have scored 118 points in their first three games (38 vs. Northwestern, 42 vs. Youngstown State, 38 vs. Miami), marking the first time MSU has scored at least 38 points in its first three games since 2005 (49 vs. Kent State, 42 vs. Hawai'i, 44 vs. Notre Dame). MSU is currently second in the Big Ten and 29th in the FBS in scoring offense, averaging 39.3 points per game. Michigan State also ranks second in the Big Ten and 14th in the FBS in total offense (520.0 ypg) and third in the conference and 11th in the FBS in rushing offense (263.7 ypg).

• Michigan State will induct eight members into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 23. The Class of 2021 includes: Franklin Gomez (wrestling), Anthony Hamm (men's cross country/track and field), Carol Hutchins (softball/women's basketball), Lynn Janson (men's golf), Elizabeth (Shimek) Moeggenberg (women's basketball), Floor Rijpma (field hockey), Charles Rogers (football) and Ron Scott (hockey). The annual "Celebrate State" Weekend, which did not take place in 2020, also includes the 11th-annual Varsity Letter Jacket presentation on Thursday, Sept. 22. The Hall of Fame Class of 2021 will also have a special recognition at halftime of the MSU-Nebraska game on Saturday.

• Michigan State and Nebraska will honor the memories of Mike Sadler and Sam Foltz prior to the game on Saturday, as Mike's mother, Karen, and sister, Katie, along with Sam's parents Jill and Gerald Foltz, will participate in the coin toss. Mike Sadler and Sam Foltz were both tragically killed in a car accident on July 23, 2016, while working a kicking camp near Waukesha, Wisconsin. This marks the first time Nebraska has played in East Lansing since the tragic accident; Nebraska also held a pregame ceremony at Memorial Stadium during MSU's visit to Lincoln in 2018. On the field, Sadler was a master of his craft and one of the greatest and most productive punters in program history. In the classroom, he achieved an ever rarer feat, becoming the first student-athlete at Michigan State to earn Academic All-America honors four times. A two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Sadler earned first-team All-America accolades during MSU's Big Ten and Rose Bowl Championship season in 2013. He was posthumously inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. Foltz was named the 2015 Big Ten Punter of the Year for the Huskers.

Sadler & Foltz Coin

• Michigan State will honor the memory of former Spartan Mylan Hicks prior to the game on Saturday. Hicks was tragically killed in a shooting five years ago on Sept. 25, 2016, in Calgary, Alberta. Hicks, a native of Detroit, Michigan, was 23 (1993-2016). A three-year letterwinner from 2012-14, Hicks played cornerback, safety and linebacker for the Spartans and was a member of the Big Ten and Rose Bowl Champion Spartans in 2013. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology in August 2014 and was named the defensive recipient of MSU's Biggie Munn Award (most inspirational player) as a senior.

STAT LEADERS–
Michigan State:
Rushing – Jr. Kenneth Walker III (57 carries for 493 yards, 8.6 avg., 5 TDs)
Passing – R-So. Payton Thorne (48-of-77, .623, 726 yards, 9 TDs, 0 INTs)
Receiving – R-Jr. Jayden Reed (12 catches for 277 yards, 23.1 avg., 3 TDs)
Tackles – Sr. S Xavier Henderson (25 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PBU)

Nebraska:
Rushing – Jr. Adrian Martinez (51 carries for 290 yards, 5.7 avg., 4 TDs)
Passing – Jr. Adrian Martinez (65-of-99, .657, 1,017 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT)
Receiving – Sr. Samori Toure (16 receptions for 333 yards, 20.8 avg., 2 TDs)
Tackles – So. LB Luke Reimer (35 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, 1 FF)

MSU/NEBRASKA SERIES NOTES –
• Saturday's game marks the 12th meeting between Michigan State and Nebraska. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 9-2, including a 2-1 record in games played in Spartan Stadium.

• MSU is 2-4 against Nebraska in Big Ten games. In the last meeting on Nov. 17, 2018, Nebraska beat MSU, 9-6, in Lincoln. This marks Nebraska's first trip to East Lansing since 2014, a 27-22 victory for the Spartans.

A QUICK GLANCE AT NEBRASKA (2-2, 0-1 BIG TEN) –
• The Cornhuskers bring a 2-2 overall record and an 0-1 Big Ten ledger into Spartan Stadium for Saturday's matchup. Nebraska opened the season with a 30-22 loss at Illinois in conference action, before bouncing back with a 52-7 win over Fordham on Sept. 4 and a 28-3 win over Buffalo on Sept. 11.

• Nebraska is coming off a 23-16 loss at No. 3 Oklahoma in Norman. The Sooners opened a 14-3 lead late in the third quarter, before Nebraska scored a TD with eight seconds left in the third quarter to get within 14-9, but the extra point was blocked and OU ran it back for a defensive two-point conversion for a 16-9 lead. Oklahoma scored a TD early in the fourth for a 23-9 advantage, before the Huskers scored with 5:38 left on a 21-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Adrian Martinez to junior wide receiver Omar Manning to pull within 23-16. Nebraska got the ball back at its own 17-yard line with 57 seconds to play, but Martinez was sacked twice and the rally came up short.

• Martinez led the Husker offense with 19-of-25 passing for 289 yards and a TD, and had 17 rushes for 23 yards and a rushing TD, but was sacked five times. Redshirt freshman running back Rahmir Johnson had 11 rushes for 42 yards to go with three catches for 48 yards, while junior tight end Austin Allen led the receiving corps with six catches for 43 yards.

• Senior linebacker JoJo Domann spearheaded the Husker defense with a game-high 12 tackles, including one TFL, adding a pass break-up. Senior safety Deontai Williams added nine stops.

• Senior placekicker Connor Culp was 1-for-3 on field goals, making a 51-yarder in the first quarter, but missing from 50-yards in the second quarter and 35-yards in the third frame.

• The Huskers are ninth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (29.5 ppg), while ranking seventh in scoring defense (15.8 ppg).

• Nebraska's offense leads the Big Ten with 1,925 yards of total offense. That average is boosted by 633 yards against Fordham, that currently is the most in the Big Ten for a single game. The Huskers are fifth in the Big Ten in total offense per game (481.3), ranking fourth in passing offense (280.3 ypg), along with sixth in rushing offense (201.0 ypg).

• The Husker defense is 10th in total defense (346.3 ypg), ranking 11th in rushing defense (156.3 ypg) and sixth in passing defense (190.0 ypg).

• Individually, Martinez is second in the B1G in total offense (326.8 ypg), as well as fourth in passing (245.3 ypg). For the season, he is 65-of-99 passing (.657) with 1,017 yards with five TDs and one INT. Martinez is also the Huskers' leading rusher with 51 carries for 290 yards (5.7 ypc/72.5 ypg) with four TDs.

• Senior wide receiver Samori Toure has been Martinez's prime target with 16 catches for 333 yards (20.8 ypc/83.3 ypg) with two TDs.

• Sophomore linebacker Luke Reimer leads the Husker defense with 28 total tackles (14 solo, 14 assists), with 0.5 TFL, one INT, one pass break-up and one forced fumble. Williams adds 24 stops (12 solo, 12 assists) and a team-high two INTs.

• Culp is 3-for-8 on field goals, with his 51-yard upright split his season-long. He is also 13-of-16 on PATs.

• Freshman punter Daniel Cerni punted in the first three games, with 12 punts for a 36.0 ypp average with a long of 46 with four inside the 20. Former MSU punter sophomore William Przystup handled the punting duties at Oklahoma, with two punts for a 50.0 ypp average with a long of 52 yards.

• Nebraska head coach Scott Frost is 14-22 in his fourth year at his alma mater, and has a 33-29 overall record in his six seasons as a head coach.

Payton Thorne

LAST TIME OUT: MICHIGAN STATE 38, NO. 24 MIAMI 17 –
• Michigan State earned its first win over Miami in the five-game series history, as last Saturday was the first meeting since 1989.

• MSU head coach Mel Tucker collected his third win over an AP Top 25 team while leading the Spartans, including two of the three on the road (No. 13 Michigan in 2020; No. 24 Miami in 2021) . . . with Saturday's win over No. 24 Miami, five of Tucker's 10 career wins as a head coach have come against AP Top 25 opponents (2021: No. 24 Miami; 2020: No. 11 Northwestern and No. 13 Michigan; 2019: No. 25 Nebraska and No. 24 Arizona State at Colorado).

OFFENSE
• Michigan State has scored at least 38 points in all three games this season (38 at Northwestern, 42 vs. Youngstown State, 38 vs. Miami) . . . it marks the first time MSU has scored at least 38 points in its first three games since 2005.

• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III registered his second 100-yard rushing outing of the season, with 172 yards on 27 carries, joining his 264-yard Spartan debut at Northwestern on Sept. 3 . . . with a 26-yard scamper in the first quarter, Walker III now has at least one rush of 24-plus yards in each of the three games this season, with a long of 75-yards in the season-opener at Northwestern and 24-yards last week vs. Youngstown State . . . Walker added to that with a 25-yard run in the second quarter.

• Walker recorded his first reception of the season with a second-quarter catch and later snared the first TD reception of his collegiate career with a 7-yard TD pass from Thorne.

• Walker now has at least one TD in each of the three games, with a career-best four rushing TDs in the opener at Northwestern, adding one rushing score last week vs. Youngstown State.

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne was 18-for-31 passing for 261 yards with a career-high tying four TDs for the second straight game . . . Thorne becomes just the second Spartan quarterback in school history to throw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games (Connor Cook, 2015, vs. Indiana and Nebraska) . . . Thorne has nine TD passes this season.

• Junior wide receiver Jalen Nailor snared a TD catch for the second straight game with his career-high tying two scoring catches as part of four receptions for 82 yards, both team-highs on the day . . . Nailor's two TDs matched his career-high vs. Penn State (12/12/20) . . . he now has at least one TD catch in each of the last two games as part of nine career TD receptions.

• Junior wide receiver Jayden Reed had three catches for 32 yards with one TD, adding two rushes for 17 yards and another TD . . . Reed now has three overall TDs in last two games with one TD reception last week.

• Sophomore wide receiver Tre Mosley's 51-yard reception in the second quarter was a new career-long, bettering his previous long of 26-yards in the Northwestern game.

DEFENSE
• Michigan State forced a season-high four turnovers (interceptions by Angelo Grose and Ronald Williams; forced fumbles by Jeff Pietrowski and Drew Beesley).

• Senior safety Xavier Henderson has now led or shared the lead for the MSU defense in all three games this season . . . Henderson had eight tackles Saturday, as he has had eight or more stops in all three games, led by a career-high tying nine tackles in season-opener vs. Northwestern.

• Senior defensive end Drew Beesley tied a career-high with two sacks, matching his 2.0 sacks last season vs. Northwestern (11/28/20) . . . Beesley now has 6.5 career sacks as part of 13.5 career tackles for loss . . . the forced fumble was the second of his career.

• Senior cornerback Ronald Williams and sophomore safety Angelo Grose both snared their first career interceptions with Williams' fourth-quarter INT and Grose's second-quarter oskie.

• Graduate senior defensive end Jacub Panasiuk played in his 47th career game, which leads all active offense and defense Spartan players, trailing only placekicker Matt Coghlin . . . Panasiuk added one tackle for loss, on the game's first play from scrimmage, and now has 3.0 TFLs this season and 24.0 for his career, moving up to tie for No. 33 on MSU's career TFL list.

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Graduate senior placekicker Matt Coghlin's 23-yard field goal was his second made upright split this season and is now 2-of-5 for the year, as well as 66-of-90 for his career.

• Redshirt senior punter Bryce Baringer's 65-yard punt in the third quarter was a new season-long, bettering a 57-yarder from Northwestern game (9/3/21) . . . Baringer punted five times Saturday for a career-high 54.6 ypp average, and tied a career-high with four going for 50+ yards, adding a 57-yarder and a 52-yarder in the first half to go with a 51-yarder in the third quarter . . . he now has six punts of 50+ yards this season and 20 in his career.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

TEAM
• The Spartans have scored 118 points in their first three games (38 vs. Northwestern, 42 vs. Youngstown State, 38 vs. Miami), marking the first time MSU has scored at least 38 points in its first three games since 2005 (49 vs. Kent State, 42 vs. Hawai'i, 44 vs. Notre Dame). MSU is currently second in the Big Ten and 29th in the FBS in scoring offense, averaging 39.3 points per game.

• Michigan State also ranks second in the Big Ten and 14th in the FBS in total offense (520.0 ypg).

• MSU's resurgent rushing attack ranks third in the Big Ten and 11th in the FBS, averaging 263.7 yards per game. The Spartans accumulated 326 rushing yards at Northwestern – the first time MSU put up more than 300 rushing yards in a game since 2014 (330 yards at Indiana) – and had 272 yards on the ground against Youngstown State and 193 at Miami. MSU is averaging 6.8 yards per carry, fifth best in the FBS.

• Michigan State scored a touchdown on its first play from scrimmage in the first two games of the season. Against Northwestern, junior transfer running back Kenneth Walker III raced 75 yards to the end zone on his first carry as a Spartan, while Payton Thorne found Jayden Reed on a 75-yard touchdown pass against Youngstown State. Dating back to 1944 when school single-game play-by-play records are available, Walker's 75-yard TD marked the first time Michigan State has scored on its first play from scrimmage to start a season. Before the season opener, the last time MSU scored on its first play from scrimmage was on Sept. 25, 2010, against Northern Colorado, as Edwin Baker had a 5-yard run following an interception on UNC's first possession that gave MSU first-and-goal from the 5.

QUARTERBACKS
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne, who started in the 2020 season finale at Penn State, was named the team's starting quarterback in Week 1 against Northwestern after competing with sixth-year graduate transfer Anthony Russo (Temple) during spring practice and preseason camp. Thorne owns a 3-1 record as a starting quarterback at MSU (3-0 in 2021).

• Thorne ranks first in the Big Ten in passing efficiency (180.1 rating) and touchdown passes (9) through the first three weeks of the season. He has completed 62 percent of his passes (48-of-77) for 726 yards and ranks sixth in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (242.0). Thorne also ranks third on the team in rushing with a net of 51 yards, although he has gained a total of 92 yards on the ground.

• The product of Naperville, Illinois, was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the conference office on Sept. 20 and was also recognized as one of the Davey O'Brien Award's Great 8 performances of Week 3. Thorne became just the second Spartan quarterback in school history, joining Connor Cook, to throw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games during MSU's 38-17 victory at then-No. 24 Miami last Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. Thorne threw for a career-high four TDs in the Week 2 win over Youngstown State, and matched that effort against the Hurricanes by completing 18-of-31 passes for 261 yards and four more touchdowns. Cook threw for four TDs in consecutive games against Indiana and Nebraska in 2015.

• At Miami, Thorne first found Kenneth Walker III on a 7-yard screen pass for a score in the second quarter, then connected with Jalen Nailor on an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Thorne's third TD pass of the game came on a third-and-7 play early in the fourth as he hit Jayden Reed in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. Although Thorne ended up with a net of 4 rushing yards, he scrambled for a 22-yard gain on a third-and-6 play and also converted on fourth-and-1 with a quarterback sneak to propel a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to make it 31-17 in favor of MSU. Thorne finished the eight-play, 75-yard drive by finding Nailor in the end zone for a 39-yard pass, one play after getting the first down on the QB sneak.

• In the 42-14 win over Youngstown State in Week 2, Thorne completed 15-of-21 passes for 280 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. It marked the first time a Spartan quarterback threw for four TDs in a game since Brian Lewerke vs. Northwestern in 2017. Thorne also had 19 yards rushing on three carries (6.3 avg.), including a 10-yard TD run.

• In his second career start, Thorne threw for 185 yards on 15-of-25 passing with one TD at Northwestern to earn his first win as the Spartans' starting QB. Thorne also rushed for 28 yards on five carries.

09.11.21_MSU FTBL VS YSU

RUNNING BACKS
• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III, a transfer from Wake Forest, is having a dynamic start to the season. Walker leads the FBS in rushing (493 yards; 164.3 ypg) and also ranks second in the FBS in yards per carry (8.7), third in all-purpose yards (170.0 ypg), sixth in total touchdowns (6) and ninth in rushing TDs (5) and scoring (12.0 ppg). His 89.1 grade by Pro Football Focus ranks No. 2 in the country for running backs.

• Walker had a record-setting debut as a Spartan, rushing for a career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in school history – while scoring a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Spartans past Northwestern on Sept. 3. It marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White. Walker became just the second Spartan to record more than 250 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the same game (Eric Allen, school-record 350 yards and four TDs vs. Purdue on Oct. 30, 1971).

• After seeing limited action in Week 2 vs. Youngstown State (seven carries for 57 yards, 1 TD, 8.1 avg.), Walker was back at it in the victory at Miami, compiling 172 yards on the ground on 27 carries (6.4 avg.) while also catching three passes for 17 yards, including his first career TD reception on a 7-yard screen pass in the second quarter. Walker is averaging 218.0 rushing yards per game against FBS opponents this season (264 vs. Northwestern; 172 vs. Miami).

• Sophomore Jordon Simmons, who led the team in rushing as a true freshman with 219 yards on 56 carries (3.9 avg.) in five games, ranks second on the team with 132 rushing yards on 23 carries (5.7 avg.). Simmons recorded his first 100-yard rushing game with 121 yards on 16 carries in the win over Youngstown State in Week 2.

• Redshirt junior Elijah Collins, who led the team with 988 rushing yards as a redshirt freshman in 2019, had three carries for 32 yards and one catch for a 20-yard TD against Youngstown State before leaving the game with an injury. He did not see action in Week 3 at Miami.

WIDE RECEIVERS
• Redshirt junior Jayden Reed ranks among the Big Ten leaders in yards per catch (second with 23.1 avg.), receiving (third with 92.3 ypg) and receptions (14th with 12, 4.0 per game). He leads the Spartans with 12 catches for 277 yards and three TDs.

• Reed caught four passes for a career-high 181 yards against Youngstown State in Week 2; two of those catches came for 160 yards in the first half alone (75 yard TD on first play of the game; 85 yard TD in second quarter). Reed has six 100-yard receiving games in his career (four at Western Michigan in 2018; two at MSU). He also tallied a career-high 264 all-purpose yards (181 receiving, 32 kick return, 48 punt return) against YSU.

• Redshirt junior Jalen Nailor has 10 catches for 141 yards and three TDs. He matched his career high with two TD catches at Miami, including a 39-yard grab in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

• Redshirt sophomore Tre Mosley ranks third on the team with seven catches for 123 yards; he had a career-long 51-yard reception at Miami.

TIGHT ENDS
• Redshirt senior Connor Heyward converted from running back to tight end during preseason camp, and has started the first three games at his new position. Heyward has six catches for 77 yards and has been a key blocker for the Spartans in their three victories.

• Former walk-on punter Tyler Hunt made the position switch to tight end in 2020 and has four catches for 36 yards in three games this season, including a starting assignment vs. Youngstown State.

OFFENSIVE LINE
• Michigan State's offensive line had 152 career starts returning in 2021, which ranked third most in the FBS. MSU has nine players of multiple games of starting experience.

• Redshirt senior Kevin Jarvis leads the way with 30 career starts. He has started at left tackle (three games in 2019) and right tackle (seven games in 2020) during the past two seasons, but has started the first three games of 2021 at right guard, where he started 17 games in 2017-18.

• Jarrett Horst, a transfer from Arkansas State, has started the first three games at left tackle. A member of the Outland Trophy Watch List, Horst started 20 games in 2019-20 at left tackle at Arkansas State.

• Junior J.D. Duplain has 13 career starts at left guard, including all three games in 2021.

• Sixth-year graduate Matt Allen, who only played in one game in 2020 due to a foot injury, has started the first three games at center. He has started 20 overall games at center throughout his career.

• Sixth-year graduate AJ Arcuri started all seven games at left tackle in 2020, but made the move to right tackle this season with the addition of Horst, and has started at his new position all three games in 2021.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

DEFENSIVE LINE
• Michigan State returns both starting defensive ends in 2021 in sixth-year graduate Drew Beesley and fifth-year graduate Jacub Panasiuk. Panasiuk has 33 career starts to his credit, most of any active Spartan, including all three games this season. Panasiuk has three TFLs, three QB hurries, and one fumble recovery this season. Beesley is tied for the team lead with two sacks (14 yards) and has eight tackles overall.

• Michigan State has four players with starting experience on the defensive line, including redshirt junior Jacob Slade, redshirt junior Dashaun Mallory, redshirt sophomore Jalen Hunt and redshirt freshman Simeon Barrow.

LINEBACKERS
• Quavaris Crouch, a junior transfer from Tennessee, started 10 games for the Volunteers last season and has started the first three games of 2021 for the Spartans. Crouch ranks third on the team with 17 tackles, including a 6-yard sack, two QB hurries, and a fumble recovery.

• Redshirt freshman Cal Haladay earned his first career start in Week 1 and has kept his starting role ever since. Haladay is second on the team with 19 tackles.

SECONDARY
• Senior Xavier Henderson has started a team-best 23 games at safety for the Spartans. He leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big Ten in tackles with 25 (8.3 avg).

• Sophomore Angelo Grose, who started four games as a true freshman at nickelback in 2020, made the move to safety in spring practice and has started the first three games at his new position this year. Grose recorded his first career interception in the win at Miami and ranks fourth on the team with 16 tackles.

• Three cornerbacks have started the first three games for the Spartans. Redshirt junior Kalon Gervin started the first two games, senior transfer Ronald Williams (Alabama) started in Week 1 and Week 3, and junior transfer Chester Kimbrough (Florida) has started the last two games. Williams had his first pick as a Spartan in the fourth quarter in the win at Miami.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

KICKER
• Sixth-year graduate Matt Coghlin has been the team's starting placekicker for the past five seasons, dating back to 2017. He is ranked among the school's all-time leaders in field goals (second with 65), points scored (fourth with 327) and PATs (seventh with 123). Coghlin picked up All-Big Ten honors for the fourth time in his career in 2020 (2018, first team, media; 2017 and 2019-20, honorable mention) in addition to earning Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fourth year in a row. He ranked tied for fourth in the Big Ten with nine field goals last season (9-of-12), highlighted by a career-long 51-yarder at Michigan on Oct. 31. Coghlin was been named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time in his career after going 3-of-4 on field goals in the win over No. 8 Northwestern on Nov. 28, including the game-winner from 48 yards out with 3:35 left in the game that put MSU on top, 23-20, in the eventual 29-20 victory.

PUNTER
• Redshirt senior Bryce Baringer ranks third in the Big Ten in punting (50.2 avg.). He's also fourth in the conference with five punts placed inside the 20 and fifth with six punts of 50-plus yards.

RETURNS
• Redshirt junior Jayden Reed leads the team in kick returns (two for 52 yards, 26.0 avg.) and punt returns (three for 48 yards; 16.0 avg.).