Kenneth Walker III needed just one play to prove his worth. In the blink of an eye, the newest member of Michigan State’s backfield was in the end zone.

Walker crossed the goal line quicker than a hiccup in Michigan State’s opener on Saturday night, taking the opening handoff 75 yards to give the Spartans an early 7-0 lead on Northwestern. That was only the beginning for the transfer from Wake Forest.

Seven minutes later, Walker was back in the end zone after a 3-yard rush to give Michigan State a 14-0 advantage. By the time the first quarter came to a close, the running back had piled up over 100 yards on Northwestern’s defense.

The Wildcats had no answer.

A 14-yard pass from Payton Thorne to Jordan Simmons broke up the scoring from Walker in the first half, giving Michigan State a 21-0 advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the half. Northwestern didn’t lay down, but it never really threatened the Spartans after that.

Walker’s scoring drought didn’t last long, scoring on a 5-yard run in the third quarter for his third touchdown of the contest. On Michigan State’s final drive of the game, he shimmied past the defense on a 6-yard run for the last score of the night. He proved to be a problem all night for the Wildcats defense and looked like the solution to Michigan State’s run game.

Walker ended the contest with 264 yards on 21 carries in Michigan State’s 38-21 season-opening victory. He was the first Spartans back to rush for more than 200 yards in a game since Le’Veon Bell racked up 266 yards against Minnesota in November 2012. He was the first MSU ball carrier to reach the end zone in 11 games.

Last season, Michigan State’s entire team combined for 2 rushing touchdowns. Walker ended the night with 4.

There was plenty to like about Michigan State’s performance on Friday night. Offensive line play looked better than it did at any point over the last three years. Payton Thorne provided consistency at quarterback, completing 15-of-25 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Reed, Tre Mosley and Jalen Nailor are all playmakers at wide receiver.

But the biggest issue in East Lansing over the past three seasons has been the rushing attack. Tucker referred to it as “putrid” during the 2020 season. The Spartans averaged a paltry 91.4 yards per game on the ground. They haven’t ranked higher than No. 13 in the B1G in rushing production since 2017.

On Friday night in Evanston, Michigan State churned out an impressive 326 on the ground. The Spartans averaged 8.8 yards per carry.

Some of that falls on Northwestern’s defense. Say what you will about the wizardry of Pat Fitzgerald, but the Wildcats didn’t have that magic in the opener. Even with starters Samdup Miller, Chris Bergin and Brandon Joseph all returning, it was apparent that the departures — including defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz — were significant.

Fitzgerald has his work cut out for him moving forward. There’s no question about that.

Walker provided that much-needed spark, though. He provided that combination of speed, power and vision that has been missing from Michigan State’s backfield for several years now. Every time he touched the ball, everyone at Ryan Field held their breath.

It’s been a long time since that’s been the case for a Spartan running back.

Judging a team, or a player, from a Week 1 performance can be tricky. It’s not really clear how talented both sides are in that season-opening contest. When it comes to Walker, there is no question. He’s exactly the kind of player Michigan State needs in the backfield.

When Walker was on the field, Michigan State’s rushing attack was anything but putrid.