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There were many high profile games in week three of the college football season and plenty of impressive showings from NFL prospects across the country. However, few showed out quite like Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker and Oklahoma’s Jalen Redmond.
Michigan State has not been a top team for a few years now, but Kenneth Walker has given the Spartans a spark on offense that could catapult them back to relevance. Against a ranked Miami team, Walker carried the ball 27 times for over 170 yards and caught a touchdown pass. All in all, he touched the ball thirty times on Saturday for 189 total yards and a score. Not bad! The 5’10”, 210 pound running back has a nice blend of size and twitchiness to pair with great vision and a hard running style.
Walker started his career at Wake Forest where he ran for 17 touchdowns in two years before transferring to Michigan State. Through three games, the junior running back has already carried the ball 57 times for almost 500 yards and five scores. He is not only a bellcow for the MSU offense, but he is a home run hitter averaging over 8 yards a carry.
Few running backs are starting off the season like Kenneth Walker, especially among draft eligible backs. He is certainly putting everyone on notice that he is a legitimate playmaker carrying the ball.
These aren't even all of his awesome runs in last week's upset win over Miami, but Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker had himself a day last week and forced 20 missed tackles in the process per @PFF. https://t.co/UQ8eWWgE91
— Zachary Krueger (@ZK_FFB) September 21, 2021
Defensively, Jalen Redmond stood out in Oklhamoma’s close call with Nebraska. It was not a game that anyone expected to be close, but with the Sooner offense stalling out, the defense needed to step up. Jalen Redmond spearheaded a defensive effort that held Nebraska to 16 points and kept their passing game under duress for four quarters. Redmond tallied his first sack of the season while creating constant pressure on the passing game and penetration against the run.
The third year defender had a breakout season in 2020 and is looking to follow it up with an even stronger 2021 campaign. Redmond is a 280 pound defensive lineman who can line up at the five technique, inside or as a true edge defender. His versatility, his motor and his burst off the line should have NFL teams interested. After his stellar performance against the Cornhuskers, it will be hard to ignore Redmond for much longer.
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