Ken Walker's 9 best plays during his 5-TD domination of Michigan last season

Seaside Joe 1238: It took 122 years for a Michigan State player to score five times against the Wolverines

The Michigan-Michigan State football rivalry goes back to 1898 and has taken place 114 times in the last 122 years. There have been many times in the history of the sport that running backs have been the focal point of an offense well more than is expected today, but not until 2021 did a Spartans running back score five touchdowns against the Wolverines.

Kenneth Walker III may be of this world, but he seems misplaced in this era.

When Michigan and Michigan State met for the 114th time this past October, it was the first time since 1964 that both teams were ranked in the top-10, as well as the only time both the Wolverines and Spartans were 7-0 or better. In the modern game, we might expect to highlight a matchup of quarterbacks, like Trevor Lawrence vs. Tua Tagovailoa, or even back to 2011 when Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins faced off against Wisconsin’s transfer superstar Russell Wilson.

Instead, this battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy would include respectable college quarterbacks Cade McNamara and Payton Thorne. But any Heisman talk in 2021 could only center around the matchup between Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Walker.

Game. Set. Walker.