Photo by: MSU Athletic Communications
Post-Game Notes: Northwestern
9/4/2021 2:40:00 AM | Football
POST-GAME NOTES
at Northwestern - Sept. 3, 2021
• Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker improves to 2-0 against Northwestern, leading the Spartans to victory over the Wildcats for second-straight season, after last year's 29-20 victory for MSU over then-No. 8 ranked Northwestern.
• Michigan State has won seven of the last eight games at Northwestern ... MSU now leads the all-time series, 40-20, including a three-game winning streak.
• MSU ran for 326 yards Friday night, marking the first time that the Spartans rushed for 300 yards in a game since 2014 at Indiana (330 yards).
• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III had an explosive debut as a Spartan, rushing for four touchdowns, including a 75-yard scamper for a TD on his first play in the game on MSU's opening offensive play ... Walker rushed for a career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in MSU history – and scored a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Spartans ... It marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White ... Walker now has 21 career rushing TDs, as he collected 17 rushing scores in his two seasons at Wake Forest ... Friday was the first time a Spartan scored four rushing TDs in a game since Edwin Baker in 2010 vs. Minnesota ... according to ESPN Stats and Information, Walker is the first Big Ten running back with 250-plus rushing yards and four rushing TDs in a single game since Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 2014 ... Walker is the first Spartan to record more than 200 rushing yards in a game since Le'Veon Bell (2012 at Minnesota, 266 yards) ... Walker's 264 yards are the most by a Spartan running back in an MSU season opener.
• Sophomore running back Jordon Simmons scored his first career TD with a 14-yard screen pass reception in the second quarter ... That was his only reception of the game, adding five rushes for 10 yards.Â
• Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne made his second career start, throwing for 185 yards on 15-of-25 passing with one TD, to earn his first win as the Spartans' starting QB ... Thorne also rushed for 28 yards on five carries ... Thorne now has four career TD passes, on 63-of-110 passing for 767 yards in his two years as a Spartan signal-caller.
• Junior wide receiver Jayden Reed led MSU's receiving corps with five receptions for 64 yards ... Sophomore wide receiver Tre Mosley added four catches for 59 yards ... Both Reed and Mosley had acrobatic catches in the game.
• Senior safety Xavier Henderson shared the team-lead with nine tackles, including a career-high two tackles for loss and the first sack of his MSU career.
• Sophomore safety Angelo Grose matched Henderson with nine tackles, logging a new career-high, topping previous career-best of six stops done twice in his career, last doing so vs. Ohio State (12/5/20) and also added one pass-break-up, tying career-best for the third time in his career.
• Redshirt junior cornerback Kalon Gervin also notched a career-high with eight tackles, topping previous career-high of four stops, previously done four times, last vs. Penn State (12/12/20).
• Senior placekicker Matt Coghlin was 1-for-2 on field goals, missing a 60-yard attempt as time expired in the first half, before splitting the uprights from 37-yards out in the fourth quarter ... Coghlin is now 65-of-87 for his career on field goals, currently No. 2 on MSU's career field goals list, closing gap on school record of 71 by Brett Swenson (2006-09) ... The .747 career field goal percentage is No. 4 on the Spartan career list ... Coghlin also made all five of his PATs Friday, and is now 112-of-112 for his career, holding the No. 8 spot on MSU's career PAT list ... now with 313 career points, Coghlin moves up to No. 4 on the MSU career scoring list, passing John Langeloh (308 points, 1987-90).
Â
at Northwestern - Sept. 3, 2021
• Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker improves to 2-0 against Northwestern, leading the Spartans to victory over the Wildcats for second-straight season, after last year's 29-20 victory for MSU over then-No. 8 ranked Northwestern.
• Michigan State has won seven of the last eight games at Northwestern ... MSU now leads the all-time series, 40-20, including a three-game winning streak.
• MSU ran for 326 yards Friday night, marking the first time that the Spartans rushed for 300 yards in a game since 2014 at Indiana (330 yards).
• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III had an explosive debut as a Spartan, rushing for four touchdowns, including a 75-yard scamper for a TD on his first play in the game on MSU's opening offensive play ... Walker rushed for a career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in MSU history – and scored a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Spartans ... It marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White ... Walker now has 21 career rushing TDs, as he collected 17 rushing scores in his two seasons at Wake Forest ... Friday was the first time a Spartan scored four rushing TDs in a game since Edwin Baker in 2010 vs. Minnesota ... according to ESPN Stats and Information, Walker is the first Big Ten running back with 250-plus rushing yards and four rushing TDs in a single game since Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 2014 ... Walker is the first Spartan to record more than 200 rushing yards in a game since Le'Veon Bell (2012 at Minnesota, 266 yards) ... Walker's 264 yards are the most by a Spartan running back in an MSU season opener.
• Sophomore running back Jordon Simmons scored his first career TD with a 14-yard screen pass reception in the second quarter ... That was his only reception of the game, adding five rushes for 10 yards.Â
• Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne made his second career start, throwing for 185 yards on 15-of-25 passing with one TD, to earn his first win as the Spartans' starting QB ... Thorne also rushed for 28 yards on five carries ... Thorne now has four career TD passes, on 63-of-110 passing for 767 yards in his two years as a Spartan signal-caller.
• Junior wide receiver Jayden Reed led MSU's receiving corps with five receptions for 64 yards ... Sophomore wide receiver Tre Mosley added four catches for 59 yards ... Both Reed and Mosley had acrobatic catches in the game.
• Senior safety Xavier Henderson shared the team-lead with nine tackles, including a career-high two tackles for loss and the first sack of his MSU career.
• Sophomore safety Angelo Grose matched Henderson with nine tackles, logging a new career-high, topping previous career-best of six stops done twice in his career, last doing so vs. Ohio State (12/5/20) and also added one pass-break-up, tying career-best for the third time in his career.
• Redshirt junior cornerback Kalon Gervin also notched a career-high with eight tackles, topping previous career-high of four stops, previously done four times, last vs. Penn State (12/12/20).
• Senior placekicker Matt Coghlin was 1-for-2 on field goals, missing a 60-yard attempt as time expired in the first half, before splitting the uprights from 37-yards out in the fourth quarter ... Coghlin is now 65-of-87 for his career on field goals, currently No. 2 on MSU's career field goals list, closing gap on school record of 71 by Brett Swenson (2006-09) ... The .747 career field goal percentage is No. 4 on the Spartan career list ... Coghlin also made all five of his PATs Friday, and is now 112-of-112 for his career, holding the No. 8 spot on MSU's career PAT list ... now with 313 career points, Coghlin moves up to No. 4 on the MSU career scoring list, passing John Langeloh (308 points, 1987-90).
Â
Players Mentioned
K
/ Football
CB
/ Football
S
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballJonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Sep. 8 2025
Monday, September 08
Jonathan Smith Post Game Comments | BC | Sep. 7 2025
Sunday, September 07
Jonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Sep. 1 2025
Monday, September 01
Jonathan Smith Post Game Comments | WMU | Aug. 29 2025
Friday, August 29