Carter delivers in ‘breathtaking’ Michigan State debut
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State made Nathan Carter a NCAA transfer portal recruiting priority because the Spartans saw the former UConn star as a running back with big-play potential who was also willing to gain four or five yards through traffic.
In his Michigan State debut against CMU on Friday night, Carter gave the Spartans exactly what they hoped he would including big plays, tough runs, and consistency at the top of the tailback rotation that missing all too often last season.
“He came out running hard, he showed good burst, explosive, that was exactly what he showed at practice and that’s what he showed on film at UConn,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “He’s a good player who runs hard, he’s a good teammate who is unselfish and he does what we ask him to do. We just have to keep him healthy; he’ll be a very good player for us.”
Carter averaged 6.3 yards per carry in his first game as Spartan, while totaling 113 yards on the ground and adding another 21 yards in the passing game. He scored his first touchdown of the season on a two-yard run to cap off a three-play 70-yard scoring drive that gave Michigan State a 10-7 lead with 48 seconds remaining in the first half.
“It felt good, being in The Woodshed and being in two-minute mode,” Carter said of his first touchdown at Michigan State. “It was great, and it’s just a testament to how good our offense is when we execute. I am just excited I was able to finish it off.”
Big-play potential for Michigan State
Carter introduced himself to Spartan Stadium with a 31-yard run on his first carry of the game, and he might have taken the ball to the house if he hadn’t been run down by veteran CMU defensive back standouts Donte Kent and Trey Jones.
“I knew the first play that we were going to run because we’ve been running that all week,” Carter said. “I knew what we were going to come out with and I knew that cut was going to be there. The offensive line did a great job of executing. When I saw the hole, I ran for it. We would have loved for me to finish the play in the end zone, but those are things that I have to continue to work on.”
Carter went over the century mark in on his second 31-yard gain of the evening in the fourth quarter. It was the fifth career 100-yard rushing performance for Carter in his collegiate career and his first since registering back-to-back 100-yard outings in games against Central Connecticut State and Utah State for UConn last season.
“It feels good,” said Carter. “It’s definitely a goal I have with the offensive line to get a running back over 100 yards in every game, and I am grateful that we were able to accomplish that as a team.”
Carter credited the Michigan State offensive line for creating room for him to effectively run against a solid Mid-American Conference defensive front.
“The o-line did a great job blocking for me and opening up holes for me,” Carter said. “The offensive coaches did a great job calling the right plays in the right situations. I just went out there and did my job and executed. It was a great collective effort as far as how we performed offensively.”
Although he had 57 yards on 10 carries at halftime, Carter doesn’t feel like the run-game operation truly began to click until the second half.
“Not every run is going to he a homerun or a touchdown,” Carter said. “You’ve got to break one, and you’ve got to get the dirty fours, the dirty fives, the dirty threes. That’s when the big ones are going to run, are going to eventually break. You could see it throughout the second half. We were running out those tough yards and the receivers did a great job blocking on the outside and the o-line did a great job blocking as well, which allowed use as running backs to be able to do our job. When we are able to grind out those tough yards, it opens up everything else.”
That’s not to say that Carter wouldn’t like to have a handful of plays back, not the least of which being a fourth-down stoppage for no-gain on the opening drive of the game.
“I take responsibility for that,” Carter said. “Definitely as a running back, we’ve got to be able in those fourth-and-one, fourth-and-short, and those third-and-short plays to get those. I have to be able to continue to trust the offensive line and the offensive line has to continue to trust me to do by job. It’s a collective effort. But I have to continue to work on getting those tough yards, those first down by any means necessary.”
‘Taking it all in’
Carter will always have fond memories from his Michigan State debut. Running out of the tunnel, Carter says he overcome by emotions.
“It was breathtaking coming out of that tunnel and seeing 75,000 people there,” Carter said. “It was a blessing to come from a school like UConn, an independent school, and then to go a Big Ten school and be able to perform the way that I did. I am so grateful and I am so blessed. I want to continue to keep going, continue to keep executing, and continue to keep getting wins.”
While some players might push back their emotions if they found themselves in his shoes, Carter opted to bask in the gameday experience at Spartan Stadium
“Just taking it all in,” Carter said. “Life is short and you don’t play this game forever. I want to take advantage of me being here, being a Michigan State football player. Playing in The Woodshed. Not a lot of people can say that.”
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