No. 17/16 Michigan State Welcomes Western Kentucky for 105th Homecoming Game

Game 5: No. 17/16 Michigan State (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) vs. Western Kentucky (1-2, 0-0 C-USA)

Date: Saturday, Oct. 2
Kickoff: 7:40 p.m. EDT
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Stadium: Spartan Stadium (74,866)
Surface: Natural Grass
Promotions/Events: Homecoming | homecoming.msu.edu
Tickets: msuspartans.com
Live Stats: msuspartans.com | Live Stats
Parking: Parking lots will be open at 1 p.m. | Parking Information

TV: Big Ten Network
Mobile: FOX Sports app
Announcers: Joe Beninati (play-by-play), J Leman (analyst), Michelle McMahon (sideline)

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. 136), XM (Ch. 197), SiriusXM app (Ch. 957)
Pre-game Show: Begins at 6 p.m.

All-Time Series: First meeting

COACHES:
MSU Head Coach: Mel Tucker
MSU Record: 6-5 (second year)
Overall Record: 11-12 (third year)
Record vs. WKU: 0-0

Western Kentucky Head Coach: Tyson Helton
WKU Record: 15-13 (fourth year)
Overall Record: 15-13 (sixth year)
Record vs. MSU: 0-0

FIRST-AND-10 –
• Michigan State welcomes Western Kentucky for Homecoming in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7:40 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The Spartans improved to 4-0 and 2-0 in Big Ten play with a 23-20 overtime win against Nebraska last Saturday and moved up to No. 16 in the USA TODAY/AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the AP Poll. Western Kentucky (1-2) lost a hard-fought game to Indiana, 33-31, last Saturday night. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

• After a year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Homecoming returns to the Michigan State campus this week. This year's Homecoming theme, "Spartans Journey Together," highlights and recognizes Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee as the 2021 Grand Marshal. Ross-Lee, class of 1973, was the first African American female dean of a U.S. medical school and the first osteopathic physician to hold a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship. This year's Homecoming Parade begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1. The parade starts at the Hannah Community Center, travels down Abbot to Grand River and into campus at the Farm Lane entrance. For more information, please visit homecoming.msu.edu.

• Dating back to 1915, this year marks the 105th Homecoming game for Michigan State. The only years Homecoming games were not held since 1915 were 1943 and 2020. MSU is 68-33-3 (.678) in 104 previous Homecoming games.

• Saturday marks the 25th night game in Spartan Stadium history. With the win over Nebraska, Michigan State improved to 17-7 in night games in East Lansing. MSU's first-ever night game in Spartan Stadium was a 27-13 win over USC to open the 1987 season. For only the second time in school history, Michigan State will play night games in back-to-back weeks at Spartan Stadium (2019, Tulsa and Western Michigan).

• Redshirt junior wide receiver Jayden Reed was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week by the conference office on Monday. He was also recognized on the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for the second time this season (Week 2 vs. Youngstown State). With MSU trailing 20-13 to Nebraska late in the fourth quarter, Reed returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown to tie the game with 3:47 remaining, setting the stage for an overtime win over the Huskers. It marked MSU's first punt return for a touchdown since Nov. 26, 2011 (Keshawn Martin 57 yards at Northwestern). Reed finished the game with 192 all-purpose yards (69 kick return, 62 punt return, 59 receiving, 2 rushing). His 41-yard kick return in the second quarter set up an MSU field goal. He also hauled in four passes for 59 yards, including a 35-yard TD catch from Payton Thorne in the second quarter. Reed ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth in the FBS in all-purpose yards, averaging 146.3 per game. He also is tied for the conference lead with four touchdown catches and ranks among the league leaders in receiving yards (fifth with 84.0 ypg; 336 total) and receptions (17th with 4.0 rpg; 16 total).

• 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 (554 yards; 138.5 ypg) and also ranks third in all-purpose yards (142.3 ypg), fourth in yards per carry (7.3) and scoring (9.0 ppg) and fifth in rushing TDs (5). According to Pro Football Focus, Walker leads the country in rushing yards after contact (427) and ranks tied for first in the FBS with 16 rushes of 10-plus yards. 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 and the second most by a player in the FBS this season. 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 165.7 rushing yards per game against FBS opponents this season (264 vs. Northwestern; 172 vs. Miami; 61 vs. Nebraska).

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne leads the Big Ten with 10 touchdown passes and also ranks among the league leaders in passing efficiency (third with 169.4 rating) and passing yards (fifth with 227.2 ypg). He has completed 62.0 percent of his passes (62-of-100) for 909 yards and 10 TDs against just one interception. The Naperville, Illinois, product was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and the Manning Award National Quarterback of the Week for his performance in the win at No. 24 Miami in Week 3. He 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 against the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Thorne also 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.

• Although the Spartans were held to season offensive lows against Nebraska, Michigan State still ranks among the national leaders offensively. The Spartans are fourth in the Big Ten and 30th in the FBS in scoring offense (35.2 ppg), third in the league and 22nd nationally in rushing offense (215.5 ypg), and fifth in the conference and 34th overall in total offense (453.5 ypg).

• Fifth-year graduate senior Jacub Panasiuk was named the Pro Football Focus National Defensive Player of the Week after a career game vs. Nebraska. Panasiuk had a career-high two sacks, including a strip sack in the fourth quarter, and had seven tackles overall against the Huskers. He leads the Spartans with five tackles for loss this season (23 yards).

• Fifth-year senior Bryce Baringer averaged 58.8 yards per punt (six punts for 353 yards) vs. Nebraska, the second-highest single-game punting average in Big Ten history. Only former Spartan All-American punter Mike Sadler had a higher single-game punting average in the history of the Big Ten (minimum four punts; 59.2 avg. vs. Indiana on Oct. 12, 2013; four punts for 237 yards). Prior to the game, Michigan State and Nebraska honored the memories of Sadler and 2015 Big Ten Punter of the Year Sam Foltz. Sadler and Sam Foltz were both tragically killed in a car accident on July 23, 2016, while working a kicking camp near Waukesha, Wisconsin. It marked the first time Nebraska had played in East Lansing since the tragic accident.

MSU/WESTERN KENTUCKY SERIES NOTES –
• Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between Michigan State and Western Kentucky.

A QUICK GLANCE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (1-2, 0-0 C-USA) –
• The Hilltoppers tote a 1-2 overall record into Saturday's MSU Homecoming game at Spartan Stadium. A member of Conference USA, Western Kentucky is playing its second straight Big Ten opponent after WKU hosted Indiana last week, coming up short in a 33-31 loss to the Hoosiers. Western Kentucky opened the season with a 59-21 win over UT Martin on Sept. 2, before a 38-35 loss at Army on Sept. 11. The Hilltoppers had a bye week on Sept. 18 ahead of the Indiana contest on Sept. 25.

• Last time out, Indiana opened a 14-0 lead and had a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter, before WKU closed to 20-14 with 55 seconds before half, but IU kicked a field goal as the first half time expired to take a 23-14 lead into intermission. WKU got within 23-21 early in the third quarter, and then traded field goals to stay within two at 26-24, before Indiana scored a TD with 4:27 to go for a 33-24 advantage. WKU scored a TD with 2:43 left on senior quarterback Bailey Zappe's third TD pass of the game, this time a 19-yard connection with freshman Malachi Corley; however, WKU's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving IU the ball at the 35 and the Hoosiers got a first down and ran out the clock.

• WKU ended with 458 yards of total offense (365 passing and 93 rushing), while yielding 507 to IU (373 passing, 134 rushing).

• Zappe was 31-of-44 passing for 365 yards and three TDs, and didn't throw an interception nor was sacked. He also rushed once for 6 yards.

• Corley was WKU's leading receiver with nine catches for 70 yards and a TD, while junior wide receiver Jerreth Sterns had seven receptions for 82 yards, as Zappe completed at least one pass to 10 different receivers. • Sophomore safety A.J. Braithwaite led the Hilltopper defense with a game and career-high 15 tackles, including one sack and a forced fumble, earning Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Senior safety Antwon Kincade added 14 stops with 0.5 TFL.

• Overall, WKU is averaging 507.3 ypg total offense with 426.0 ypg through the air and 81.3 ypg on the ground. Defensively, the Hilltoppers are allowing 439.7 ypg total offense, with 224.7 ypg rushing and 215.0 ypg passing to the opposition. Western Kentucky is averaging 41.7 points per game, while yielding 30.7 ppg.

• Zappe is 87-of-119 passing for 1,224 yards (14.1 ypc/408.0 ypg) with 13 TDs and two INTs. He also has 11 rushing attempts for 37 yards and one TD. Zappe has completed a pass to 15 different receivers, including three with double-digit receptions and seven different receivers have at least one TD, including five with two or more. Zappe, who threw for more than 10,000 yards at Houston Baptist from 2017-20, ranks second in the nation in passing this season (408 yards per game) and has 13 touchdowns.

• Sterns leads WKU's receiving corps with 23 catches for 360 yards (15.7 ypc/120.0 ypg) with four TDs. Additionally, Corley adds 20 receptions for 184 yards (9.2 ypc/61.3 ypg) with two TDs and junior wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley has 14 catches for 219 yards (15.6 ypc/73.0 ypg) with two TDs.

• Senior running back Adam Cofield has 23 rushing attempts for 82 yards (3.6 ypc/27.3 ypg) and two TDs, while freshman running back Noah Whittington has 14 carries for 74 yards.

• Kincade tops the Hilltopper defense with 26 tackles (13 solo, 13 assists), with 0.5 tackle for loss, while senior defensive end DeAngelo Malone and Brathwaite have 23 stops apiece. Malone has 2.5 tackles for loss with 1.5 sacks, while Brathwaite logged his only sack and forced fumble of the season in the Indiana game.

• Sophomore placekicker Brayden Narveson is 2-for-2 on field goals and 17-of-17 on PATs, while senior punter John Haggerty III has punted four times for a 49.8 ypp average with a long of 61 yards, one of two of 50+ yards, and has three inside the 20.

• WKU head coach Tyson Helton is in his third season at the helm of the Hilltoppers, holding a 15-13 ledger and reaching two bowl games in his first two seasons. While Saturday is Hilton's first match-up against Michigan State, he is 1-0 against teams from Michigan, as the led WKU to a 23-20 win over Western Michigan in the 2019 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas, winning on a walk-off 52-yard field goal as time expired.

Connor Heyward vs Nebraska

LAST TIME OUT: MSU 23, NEBRASKA 20 (OT)
• Michigan State defeated Nebraska in overtime, 23-20, last Saturday night at Spartan Stadium . . . the Spartans improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2015 . . . MSU has won the last two games against Nebraska in Spartan Stadium, although the last matchup was in 2014 . . . MSU is 2-1 against Nebraska in Big Ten games in East Lansing . . . MSU is 3-4 vs. Nebraska in Big Ten games . . . it marked MSU's third overall win over Nebraska in series history (Nebraska leads, 9-3).

• Last Saturday marked MSU's 14th overtime game in school history (7-7 overall record) . . . it was MSU's first overtime game since Oct. 28, 2017, at Northwestern (lost 39-31 in triple OT) . . . it was MSU's first overtime game in Spartan Stadium since Oct. 13, 2012 against Iowa (lost 19-16 in double OT) . . . Saturday was MSU's first overtime win since a 16-13 OT win at Wisconsin on Oct. 27, 2012 . . . it was MSU's first OT win in Spartan Stadium since the "Little Giants" win over Notre Dame on Sept. 18, 2010, when Aaron Bates connected on a touchdown to Charlie Gantt to beat the Fighting Irish.

• MSU improved to 17-7 overall in night games at Spartan Stadium. • Michigan State trailed 20-13 in the fourth quarter before rallying for the victory . . . it marked the first comeback win in the fourth quarter for the Spartans under second-year head coach Mel Tucker.

OFFENSE
• MSU was limited to a season-low 254 yards of total offense (183 passing, 71 rushing).

• Payton Thorne was 14-of-23 passing for 183 yards and one touchdown . . . he threw his first interception on the season in the first quarter . . . Thorne now has 10 TD passes against just one interception.

• Tre Mosley had a season-high six catches for 70 yards to lead the Spartans.

• Jayden Reed hauled in four passes for 59 yards, including a 35-yard TD catch from Thorne in the second quarter . . . Reed finished with 192 all-purpose yards (69 kick return, 62 punt return, 59 receiving, 2 rushing).

DEFENSE
• Xavier Henderson collected a career-high 17 tackles (10 solo, 7 assists) . . . it marked the most tackles by a Spartan in a single game since Montae Nicholson (Oct. 8, 2016 vs. BYU).

• MSU tallied seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the game.

• Jacub Panasiuk had a career-high two sacks, including a strip sack in the fourth quarter . . . Panasiuk finished with seven tackles overall.

• Jacob Slade had a career-high eight tackles, including a 5-yard sack, and tied his career best with two TFLs . . . he also had two TFLs in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Wake Forest in 2019.

• Simeon Barrow posted a career-high seven stops, including a half tackle for loss.

• Chester Kimbrough, a junior transfer from Florida, recorded his first career interception with a pick in overtime; he returned the interception 62 yards.

• Michigan State has forced six turnovers the past two games (four at Miami; two vs. Nebraska with strip sack by Panasiuk in fourth quarter recovered by Jeff Pietrowski; interception by Kimbrough).

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Jayden Reed returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 20 with 3:47 left in the game . . . it marked MSU's first punt return for a touchdown since Nov. 26, 2011 (Keshawn Martin 57 yards at Northwestern).

• Matt Coghlin connected on 3-of-4 field goals, including the fifth game-winning field goal of his career with a 21-yarder in overtime . . . his four previous game winners include a 34-yarder as time expired to beat No. 7 Penn State in 2017; a 21-yarder with five seconds left to defeat Indiana in 2019; a 33-yarder to beat Maryland in 2019; and a 48-yarder with 3:35 remaining to beat No. 8 Northwestern in 2020 . . . Coghlin now has 69 field goals in his career, just two shy of Brett Swenson's school-record of 71.

Kenneth Walker vs Nebraska

OFFENSIVE NOTES

TEAM
• The Spartans are fourth in the Big Ten and 30th in the FBS in scoring offense (35.2 ppg), third in the league and 22nd nationally in rushing offense (215.5 ypg), and fifth in the conference and 34th overall in total offense (453.5 ypg).

• MSU's resurgent rushing attack ranks third in the Big Ten and 22nd in the FBS, averaging 215.5 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 5.9 yards per carry, 10th 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 4-1 record as a starting quarterback at MSU (4-0 in 2021).

• Thorne ranks first in the Big Ten in touchdown passes (10) through the first four weeks of the season. He has completed 62 percent of his passes (62-of-100) for 909 yards and third in the Big Ten in passing efficiency (169.4 rating) and fifth in passing (227.2 ypg). Thorne also ranks third on the team in rushing with a net of 46 yards on 23 carries, although he has gained a total of 110 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 in Week 3 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.

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 (554 yards; 138.5 ypg) and also ranks third in all-purpose yards (142.3 ypg), fourth in yards per carry (7.3) and scoring (9.0 ppg) and fifth in rushing TDs (5). According to Pro Football Focus, Walker leads the country in rushing yards after contact (427) and ranks tied for first in the FBS with 16 rushes of 10-plus yards.

• 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 and the second most by a player in the FBS this season. 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 on Sept. 18, 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 165.7 rushing yards per game against FBS opponents this season (264 vs. Northwestern; 172 vs. Miami; 61 vs. Nebraska).

• 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 145 rushing yards on 26 carries (5.6 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 in Week 2 before leaving the game with an injury. He has not seen game action the past two weeks.

WIDE RECEIVERS
• Redshirt junior Jayden Reed ranks among the Big Ten leaders touchdown catches (tied for first with 4), yards per catch (second with 21.0 avg.), receiving (fifth with 84.0 ypg; 336 yards total) and receptions (16th with 16, 4.0 per game). He leads the Spartans with 16 catches for 336 yards and four TDs.

• Reed was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 27; he was also recognized on the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for the second time this season (Week 2 vs. Youngstown State). With MSU trailing 20-13 to Nebraska late in the fourth quarter, Reed returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown to tie the game with 3:47 remaining, setting the stage for an overtime win over the Huskers. It marked MSU's first punt return for a touchdown since Nov. 26, 2011 (Keshawn Martin 57 yards at Northwestern). Reed finished the game with 192 all-purpose yards (69 kick return, 62 punt return, 59 receiving, 2 rushing). His 41-yard kick return in the second quarter set up an MSU field goal. He also hauled in four passes for 59 yards, including a 35-yard TD catch from Thorne in the second quarter.

• 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 second on the team with 13 catches for 193 yards; he had a career-long 51-yard reception at Miami and a season-best six receptions for 70 yards vs. Nebraska.

TIGHT ENDS
• Redshirt senior Connor Heyward converted from running back to tight end during preseason camp, and has started the first four games at his new position. Heyward has eight catches for 116 yards and has been a key blocker for the Spartans in their four victories.

• Former walk-on punter Tyler Hunt made the position switch to tight end in 2020 and has four catches for 36 yards in four 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.

• Michigan State has used the same starting lineup in all four games, but regularly rotates nine offensive linemen in its rotation.

• Redshirt senior Kevin Jarvis leads the way with 31 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 four 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 four 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 14 career starts at left guard, including all four 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 four games at center. He has started 21 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 four games in 2021.

• Center Nick Samac, left guard Blake Bueter, right guard Matt Carrick and left tackle Luke Campbell also see regular time in the playing rotation and all have multiple games of starting experience.

Quavaris Crouch vs Nebraska

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 34 career starts to his credit, most of any active Spartan, including all four games this season. Panasiuk has five TFLs, two sacks, three QB hurries, and one fumble recovery this season. He was named the Pro Football Focus National Defensive Player of the Week after collecting a career-high two sacks vs. Nebraska; he had seven stops overall.

• Beesley left the Nebraska game in the second quarter due to an injury. He has 11 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, in three games of action in 2021.

• Sophomore Jeff Pietrowski, who earned his first career start in Week 2 vs. Youngstown State, has 13 tackles, including 3.5 sacks (14 yards) and 4.0 TFLs (17 yards). He has also recovered a fumble and forced a fumble this season.

• 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. Slade had a career game against Nebraska with eight tackles and has 11 stops overall this season with one sack and two TFLs. Barrow has started all four games and leads all Spartan defensive lineman with 16 tackles (0.5 TFLs).

LINEBACKERS
• Quavaris Crouch, a junior transfer from Tennessee, started 10 games for the Volunteers last season and has started the first four games of 2021 for the Spartans. Crouch ranks third on the team with 25 tackles, including two sacks (10 yards), two QB hurries, one pass break-up, a forced fumble 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 27 tackles.

SECONDARY
• Senior Xavier Henderson has started a team-best 24 consecutive games at safety for the Spartans. He leads the team and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in tackles with 42 (10.5 avg). Henderson recorded a career-high 17 tackles vs. Nebraska, the most by a Spartan since Montae Nicholson in 2016.

• 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 four 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 23 tackles. He is also tied for the team lead with three pass break-ups.

• At nickelback, redshirt junior Michael Dowell (15 tackles, 3 PBUs) has started the first four games; sophomore Darius Snow (13 tackles, 2.5 TFLs) also sees time at the position.

• Senior transfer Ronald Williams (Alabama) has started three of the first four games for the Spartans. He has 13 tackles, including two TFLs, one sack and one interception (vs. Miami).

• Junior transfer Chester Kimbrough (Florida) has started the last three games at corner for the Spartans. Kimbrough recorded his first career interception in overtime in the win over Nebraska. He has nine tackles on the season.

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 69) and points scored (third with 343). Coghlin needs just two field goals to tie Brett Swenson (2006-09) for the most in school history (71).

• 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.

• Coghlin was 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, 2020, 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.

• Coghlin connected on 3-of-4 field goals against Nebraska in Week 4, including the fifth game-winning field goal of his career with a 21-yarder in overtime. His four previous game-winners include a 34-yarder as time expired to beat No. 7 Penn State in 2017; a 21-yarder with five seconds left to defeat Indiana in 2019; a 33-yarder to beat Maryland in 2019; and a 48-yarder with 3:35 remaining to beat No. 8 Northwestern in 2020.

PUNTER
• Redshirt senior Bryce Baringer ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the FBS in punting (53.2 avg.). He's also fourth in the conference with seven punts placed inside the 20 and tied for first with 11 punts of 50-plus yards. He also has four punts of 60-plus yards.

• Baringer averaged 58.8 yards per punt (six punts for 353 yards) vs. Nebraska in Week 4, the second-highest single-game punting average in Big Ten history. Baringer had a career-long of 67 yards, a new season-long for the second week in a row after a 65-yarder at Miami, and part of a career-best five punts over 50-yard for the night, including three of 60-plus yards. Only former Spartan All-American punter Mike Sadler had a higher single-game punting average in the history of the Big Ten (minimum four punts; 59.2 avg. vs. Indiana on Oct. 12, 2013; four punts for 237 yards). Prior to the game on Sept. 25, Michigan State and Nebraska honored the memories of Sadler and 2015 Big Ten Punter of the Year Sam Foltz as Mike's mother, Karen, and sister, Katie, along with Sam's parents Jill and Gerald Foltz, participated 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. It marked the first time Nebraska had played in East Lansing since the tragic accident.

RETURNS
• Redshirt junior Jayden Reed leads the team in kick returns (four for 121 yards, 30.3 avg.) and punt returns (three for 97 yards; 32.3 avg.). He returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter vs. Nebraska, marking the first time MSU returned a punt for a score since 2011 (Keshawn Martin, 57 yards at Northwestern, Nov. 26, 2011).