2021 Michigan State Spartans Football Schedule, Results & ATS Record
Experimental: college football pages are new and still being expanded.
The 2021 Michigan State Spartans went 11-2 (7-2 in the Big Ten), finishing No. 9 in the AP poll. They scored 31.8 and allowed 25.3 points per game. Against the closing spread they went 9-4-0; games went 7-6-0 on the total. SP+ rated them No. 28 nationally.
Team details
- Conference: Big Ten
- Record: 11-2
- Conference record: 7-2
- AP rank: No. 11
- Against the spread: 9-4-0
- Over/under: 7-6-0
- SP+ rank: No. 28
2021 schedule and results
| Wk | Opponent | Date | Result | Score | Spread | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Northwestern | 2021-09-04 | W | 38-21 | +3 | W | O 45.5 |
| 2 | Youngstown State | 2021-09-11 | W | 42-14 | -28.5 | L | O 52 |
| 3 | at Miami | 2021-09-18 | W | 38-17 | +7 | W | U 57.5 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 2021-09-25 | W | 23-20 | -3.5 | L | U 54.5 |
| 5 | Western Kentucky | 2021-10-02 | W | 48-31 | -10.5 | W | O 66.5 |
| 6 | at Rutgers | 2021-10-09 | W | 31-13 | -4 | W | U 50 |
| 7 | at Indiana | 2021-10-16 | W | 20-15 | -3.5 | W | U 48.5 |
| 9 | Michigan | 2021-10-30 | W | 37-33 | +4 | W | O 50.5 |
| 10 | at Purdue | 2021-11-06 | L | 29-40 | -2.5 | L | O 53.5 |
| 11 | Maryland | 2021-11-13 | W | 40-21 | -11.5 | W | O 60.5 |
| 12 | at Ohio State | 2021-11-20 | L | 7-56 | +19.5 | L | U 70.5 |
| 13 | Penn State | 2021-11-27 | W | 30-27 | +4.5 | W | O 51.5 |
| Bowl | Pittsburgh | 2021-12-31 | W | 31-21 | -3.5 | W | U 55 |
Passing leaders
| Player | G | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payton Thorne | 13 | 235 | 389 | 3240 | 27 | 10 |
| Anthony Russo | 3 | 7 | 9 | 43 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing leaders
| Player | G | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker III | 12 | 263 | 1636 | 18 |
| Jordan Simmons | 11 | 70 | 278 | 0 |
| Elijah Collins | 5 | 18 | 102 | 0 |
| Harold Joiner | 10 | 13 | 43 | 0 |
| Donovan Eaglin | 1 | 6 | 33 | 0 |
Receiving leaders
| Player | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Reed | 13 | 59 | 1026 | 10 |
| Jalen Nailor | 9 | 37 | 695 | 6 |
| Tre Mosley | 12 | 35 | 530 | 3 |
| Connor Heyward | 12 | 35 | 326 | 2 |
| Montorie Foster | 7 | 12 | 164 | 1 |
Defensive leaders
| Player | G | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Haladay | 13 | 96 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 2 |
| Xavier Henderson | 13 | 96 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Darius Snow | 13 | 87 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Angelo Grose | 13 | 81 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Quavaris Crouch | 10 | 75 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
2021 Michigan State players who reached the NFL
| Player | Pos | NFL team | Drafted | College seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Baringer | P | NE | 2023 R6 #192 | 2018–2022 |
| Connor Heyward | FB | LV | 2022 R6 #208 | 2017–2021 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | PIT | 2025 R1 #21 | 2021–2023 |
| Jalen Nailor | WR | LV | 2022 R6 #191 | 2018–2021 |
| Jayden Reed | WR | GB | 2023 R2 #50 | 2020–2022 |
| Kendell Brooks | SAF | TEN | 2024 UDFA | 2021–2022 |
| Kenneth Walker III | RB | KC | 2022 R2 #41 | 2021 |
| Keon Coleman | WR | BUF | 2024 R2 #33 | 2021–2022 |
| Montorie Foster Jr | WR | SEA | 2025 UDFA | 2020–2024 |
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com