Michigan State scored on the first play of the game. They never looked back. Led by a dominant rushing attack, the Spartans dominated Northwestern, 38-21.
Let’s look at the 2022 NFL Draft prospects from this game.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
15 QB Anthony Russo Sr 6-3 240
Transferred from Temple…Russo was beaten out by Payton Thorne and didn’t play on Friday night.
24 RB Elijah Collins Jr 6-1 225
Collins didn’t record a carry but saw some action on special teams.
9 RB Kenneth Walker III Jr 5-10 200
The transfer from Wake Forest exploded onto the scene in a big way with a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. He has great vision and has a tremendous burst. Walker showed workhorse ability with 23 carries. He finished a dominating performance against the Wildcats with 264 yards and four TDs.
76 OT A.J. Arcuri Sr 6-7 306
Arcuri played right tackle for Michigan State and had a dominant performance in the run game.
79 OT Jarrett Horst Sr 6-6 305
Horst transferred to East Lansing from Arkansas State. His block on the opening run by Walker was key to springing him.
75 OT Kevin Jarvis Sr 6-6 325
Jarvis didn’t start for MSU but came in as a reserve at right guard.
69 G Blake Bueter Sr 6-4 320
Bueter didn’t start for the Spartans but came in as a reserve at left guard.
62 G Luke Campbell Sr 6-5 290
Campbell didn’t see much action in this game.
64 C Matt Allen Sr 6-3 315
Allen is a Spartans legacy with two brothers having already played in the NFL or currently playing there. He started this game at left guard. Allen can lay all three interior spots.
96 EDGE Jacob Panasiuk Sr 6-4 255
Panasiuk has a non-stop motor. He utilizes his quick hands to get disengaged quickly. Northwestern mostly held him in check as he finished with zero tackles and only one pressure.
6 LB Quavaris Crouch Jr 6-2 235
Crouch is a transfer from Tennessee and is a tremendous athlete. He was a RB in high school. Crouch had seven tackles against NW with five being solos. He was tremendous in the run game. However, he was like a rat taking the cheese in the play action game more than once.
4 K Matt Coghlin Sr 5-9 190
Coghlin was 1/2 on his field goal attempts. He made one from 37 but missed from 60 at the end of the half. It wasn’t particularly close.
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
15 QB Hunter Johnson Sr 6-2 215
Johnson is a solid passer, albeit an unspectacular one. He has just never lived up to the hype that comes with being the top high school recruit in his class. Johnson was 30/43 for 283 yards and three TDs. Johnson was also sacked four times.
12 QB Ryan Hilinski rSO 6-3 225
The transfer from South Carolina lost the battle with Johnson in fall camp and didn’t see any action in this game.
89 TE Charlie Mangieri Sr 6-4 250
Mangieri shows good balance running after the catch and is a solid route runner. He beat Crouch for a 25-yard gain over the middle and finished with 27 yards receiving on four targets.
52 C Sam Gerak Sr 6-4 295
Gerak had a hard time in this game. He had multiple errant snaps and struggled with the interior pressure.
1 DL Joe Spivak Sr 6-0 300
Spivak did little to nothing on the defensive side of the ball. He did play some fullback in goal line situations and was solid as a lead blocker.
91 EDGE Samdup Miller Sr 6-3 270
Miller is a hustle player and cleaned up a mess on his half sack. He finished with four tackles in his first game back after opting out a year ago.
16 S Brandon Joseph rSo 6-1 192
Joseph is absolutely talented. However, he didn’t really have any splash plays that I was expecting. Joseph had eight tackles (seven solos). I will definitely need to see more before I can classify him as a first round talent.