College Football

Michigan vs. Michigan State winner sets itself up for Ohio State, playoff positioning

Updated Oct. 30, 2021 12:25 p.m. ET

By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Barring catastrophe, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III will become the first 1,000-yard rusher in East Lansing in seven years.

He needs just three yards Saturday against No. 6 Michigan at Spartan Stadium to get there.

In accomplishing that feat, Walker can put a lot of numbers into perspective. He already has rushed for more yards (997) than Michigan State on the ground all of last season (850).

If Walker hits his NCAA-leading game average of 142.4 yards on Saturday, he’ll have rushed for more yards than 2020 Spartan quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw for (1,090 in six games) and perhaps could do so on fewer rushing attempts than Lombardi threw passes.

Heading into the Top-10 matchup for Paul Bunyan’s ax (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), Walker has carried the ball 152 times for an average of 6.6 yards per rush.

The last time the Spartans boasted a 1,000-yard rusher, they earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl and finished 11-2. It was the last time the Spartans boasted an identity of running the ball with a primary tailback and playing outstanding defense — depending on those men at the line of scrimmage — served to put them on such a course.

In 2015, Michigan State finished 12-2 with three tailbacks who each rushed for at least 500 yards.

In that way, Jim Harbaugh’s 2021 Michigan squad resembles the 2015 Spartans.

Breaking the Huddle with Joel Klatt

Joel Klatt breaks down why Michigan and Michigan State have had success with their run games this season. Klatt shows why they are both dominant, but how they differ in approach.

Like the current Spartans, the Wolverines are 7-0 and have managed that undefeated start with a retooled defense, led by coordinator Mike MacDonald (that ranks No. 2 in scoring defense at 14.3 points per game) and two outstanding running backs in Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins.

Like Walker for the Spartans, the firm of Corum and Haskins powers the Wolverine offense. They’ve combined for 1,331 rush yards on 240 carries and 20 TDs. Along with freshman Donovan Edwards, that’s three Michigan tailbacks with at least 20 rush attempts who average better than 4.9 yards per rush.

Both Michigan State and Michigan will try to bring their rushing attacks to bear with all eyes on two undefeated programs in the Big Ten East.

"It’s a rivalry game and we get that," Spartans coach Mel Tucker said.

Michigan RB Blake Corum on matchup vs Michigan State

Joel Klatt talks with Michigan RB Blake Corum about the matchup against Michigan State on Saturday. Corum also talks about his impressive season and his relationship with teammate Hassan Haskins.

It’s also an opportunity to fire another shot across the bow at a team neither the Wolverines nor Spartans have played yet but will challenge for the division title: the No. 5-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Since losing to Oregon in Week 2, Ryan Day’s squad has looked the part of a defending conference champion and worthy participant in this year’s College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes have changed their defensive play-caller from Kerry Coombs to Matt Barnes. They’ve scored at least 41 in every game since the 35-28 loss at the Shoe, and they’ve held each of their opponents to 20 points or fewer.

But they’ve only beaten one team this season with a winning record, and that’s 5-2 Minnesota in OSU's season-opener on the road.

Both the Spartans and Wolverines are scheduled to play the Buckeyes in back-to-back weeks to finish the regular season.

The victor in the battle for Michigan on Saturday could prove to the CFP selection committee that it's absolutely for real just in time for the first set of rankings to be revealed Tuesday evening.

For Michigan, which has yet to beat a ranked opponent and was pushed by two programs with losing records in Rutgers and Nebraska, a win against a top-10 opponent is a résumé-builder it desperately needs.

For the Spartans, it’s another chance to show just what Tucker has built as his name is bandied about for the LSU job. In 2000, a Michigan State head coach left his post in East Lansing to become the new coach in Baton Rouge. His name is Nick Saban.

But, with a victory Saturday, especially against the in-state rival for the second-straight season, Tucker might just believe he has everything he needs at Michigan State to push for conference titles and, perhaps, the program’s first national title since 1966.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.