EAST LANSING – Nick Marsh took off like a lightning bolt.
He slipped between two Maryland defenders almost immediately after the snap, then took one jab step toward the sideline. The deke was enough to get the Terrapins’ Kevyn Humes into a flat-footed hesitation.
Big mistake.
Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Nick Marsh celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md.
Michigan State football’s freshman wide receiver cut back toward the middle of the field and turned on his afterburners. He blew past the Maryland cornerback and his would-be help, then turned his head and looked skyward for the ball. Aidan Chiles’ perfect spiral spun back down from its high arc and into the hands of Marsh, who caught it in stride and ran away from the Terrapins giving chase.
Straight into the national spotlight.
Marsh had already announced himself to Maryland in the Big Ten opener with a 57-yard catch earlier in Saturday’s fourth quarter. But that 77-yard, game-tying touchdown with a little more than 4 minutes to play in the Spartans’ eventual 27-24 comeback win launched him to Big Ten and national freshman of the week honors.
And left his mentor, Courtney Hawkins, beaming with pride – yet not the least bit surprised.
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“Nick being Nick,” wide receivers coach Hawkins, the former MSU and NFL standout, said Tuesday. “Me recruiting him, I expect it. Maybe not the numbers that he put up, but he’s a talented kid, man. That won’t be just a flash-in-the-bucket type of deal.”
Marsh caught eight passes for 194 yards, second-most ever by a freshman and 10th-best for a single game in school history. He earned Big Ten freshman of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-football-freshman-wide-101022763.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-09-11 10:10:22
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