MSU coach Mel Tucker quiet on WR Jalen Nailor’s hand injury
EAST LANSING — Mel Tucker stayed mum on the injury that kept Michigan State receiver Jalen Nailor out of the second half of Saturday’s win over Michigan. Nailor left the game late in the first half of the No. 6 Spartans’ 37-33 win over the 10th-ranked Wolverines and returned to the sideline after halftime wearing a heavy wrap on his right hand.
“I don’t have any updates on him right now,” Tucker said during his Monday news conference.
Nailor caught four passes for 75 yards in the first half before appearing to injure his hand with around 2 minutes to play. The junior made a first-down catch deep in his own territory with about 2:10 to play in the second quarter and grabbed his wrist and shook his hand after the tackle while lining up for the next play. On the ensuing second-down strip-sack fumble for a U-M touchdown by quarterback Payton Thorne, which was overturned upon replay, Nailor ran a deep post route on the play and appeared to fall hard when making his break to the inside. Montorie Foster replaced Nailor on third down and an end-of-half kickoff return, and the sophomore had two catches for 15 yards in the second half while operating alongside starters Jayden Reed and Tre Mosley at wideout.
“Obviously Montorie went in there and did a good job and stepped up and made some plays,” Tucker said. “He’s been doing that in practice. He’s getting better and better and better. That’s what we have to deal with, next man up. If you’re in the game, you’re a starter. And that’s the mentality. When we put guys in the field, we expect them to be able to execute and make plays or they wouldn’t be out there.”
Nailor, who has a team-high six receiving touchdowns with 31 catches for 587 yards on the season, did not play in the second half.
Tucker did not mention defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, who appeared to injure his left leg with 1:47 to play and had to be helped to the sideline. The senior did not return for U-M’s final possession, which only lasted two plays.
Russo update
Tucker said graduate transfer Anthony Russo, who took a plea deal Wednesday after being charged with operating while intoxicated in October, will return Saturday at Purdue.
“He’s our backup quarterback this week,” Tucker said.
Russo was not in uniform for Saturday’s game against Michigan after pleading not guilty and then entering a guilty plea to the lesser charge of reckless driving, a misdemeanor charge that carries no jail time or probation, and is required to pay $800 in fines and court costs.
Freshman Hamp Fay went through warmups for the first time this season Saturday, along with redshirt freshman Noah Kim, who has been the Spartans’ No. 3 quarterback.
Russo, who started 26 of his 31 games in five seasons at Temple before transferring to MSU in December, is the only quarterback on the roster behind Thorne with game experience. His only action with MSU came at the end of the Youngstown State win, when Russo completed 5 of 7 passes for 43 yards but also lost a fumble.
More accolades
MSU running back Kenneth Walker III was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award that goes to college football’s best allaround player annually. The junior also earned Big Ten offensive player of the week honors for the second time this season following his 197yard, five-touchdown performance Saturday.
“He’s hyper-competitive. He wants to ball, and he wants to win,” Tucker said Monday of Walker. “And he’s got the talent and the mental makeup to to get the job done. His mental disposition towards competing is at an elite level.”
On Saturday, Walker became MSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher in eight seasons and ranks No. 2 in the nation with 1,194 yards this season. He continues to lead the nation at 149.2 yards per game on the ground and ranks third in the country in total touchdowns (15), rushing touchdowns (14) and scoring per game (11.2 points), and is fourth in total points scored (90). Walker’s 6.82 yards per carry is ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten among players averaging at least 10 rushing attempts per game.
Then late Monday afternoon, Tucker was named Dodd Trophy coach of the week. The award “honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity,” according to a release.