'Who wore it best' at Michigan State: No. 30

Ever see a number on a Michigan State football jersey and think of all the great players to wear it? Me, too. In this daily series, I’ll give you my take on which Spartan football player was the best ever to wear each number. The criteria are simple: How did he perform at MSU? And what kind of impact did he have on the program?

No. 30 – Jehuu Caulcrick

Running back, 2004-07, Findley Lake, New York.

Résumé

2004: 113 carries, 619 yards, 5.5 yards per carry, 5 touchdowns; 2 receptions, 27 yards, 13.5 yards per catch

2005: 89 carries, 478 yards, 5.4 yards per carry, 7 touchdowns; 5 receptions, 53 yards, 10.6 yards per catch

2006: 108 carries, 426 yards, 3.9 yards per carry, 6 touchdowns; 15 receptions, 123 yards, 8.2 yards per catch, 1 touchdown

2007: 222 carries, 872 yards, 3.9 yards per carry, 21 touchdowns; 5 receptions, 36 yards, 7.2 yards per catch         

Total: 532 carries, 2,395 yards, 4.5 yards per carry, 39 touchdowns; 27 receptions, 239 yards, 8.9 yards per catch, 1 touchdown

Why Caulcrick?

The yards weren’t eye-popping, but, if you needed a touchdown in the mid-2000s, the ball went to the belly of one man — Jehuu Caulcrick.

The 6-foot, 250-pound power back scored 39 touchdowns during his four-year career at Michigan State, which is just four short of the school record held by Lorenzo White. Jeremy Langford beat out Caulcrick for second place on that list in 2014.

Caulcrick’s final year was his biggest. The New York product rushed for a career-high 872 yards on 222 carries and found the end zone 21 times, which was the standard for a single season until Langford and Javon Ringer each scored 22 times. His 532 career rushing attempts are 10th all-time. His 2,395 total rushing yards ranks him 12th in the school’s record books.

A team captain during his senior campaign, Caulcrick was named only an honorable mention after his breakout season, in which he led the Big Ten in scoring. He was ranked 11th overall in the nation.

MORE: Michigan State football - Who Wore It Best?

Caulcrick had plenty of personal success at MSU, but his teams didn’t. He was a part of one winning team – Mark Dantonio’s rookie season in 2007 – finishing 7-6 overall. He never beat Michigan in four tries. When it came to Notre Dame, however, Caulcrick and the Spartans went 2-2, including the infamous “flag plant” game in South Bend when MSU outlasted the Irish 44-41 in overtime. The win gave MSU a 3-0 start and a number of players spiked a Spartans’ flag into midfield at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Spartans finished 5-6 that season. Caulcrick went 21-27 overall and played in one bowl game, a 24-21 loss to Boston College in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl.

Caulcrick went undrafted and bounced from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the San Francisco 49ers, before eventually landing with the Buffalo Bills. He finished with one NFL carry for two yards.

Who else wore No. 30?

Steve Black (OLB, 1988-90), Riley Bullough (LB/FB, 2013-16), Tyrone Crenshaw (TB, 1995), Abe Eliowitz (FB, 1930-32), Clifton Hardy (DB, 1968-70), Hyland Hickson (TB, 1988-90), Arthur Johnson (HB, 1956-58), Matt Kropf (LB, 2000-01), Robert McComb (G, 1937), Bruce Reeves (HB, 1977-79), Chris Smith (LB, 2002), Edward Timmerman (FB, 1950-52), Brynden Trawick (LB, 2009), Tyrone Wilson (TB/FB, 1973-75)

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.

MORE ON JEHUU CAULCRICK:
* MSU's undrafted NFL players: 'Nothing's impossible'
* VIDEO: Jehuu Caulcrick Story
* VIDEO: Jehuu Caulcrick vs Notre Dame 06