Michigan State left South Bend with a 27-10 loss to No. 3 Notre Dame, but the Spartans also left with something they haven’t always had in these kinds of games: evidence that they can stand up for themselves for stretches, even when the opponent is clearly the better team.
That doesn’t make the result feel good, and Pat Fitzgerald made it clear afterward that he wasn’t interested in dressing it up.
"Yeah, there's no such thing as a moral victory," Fitzgerald said following the game. "You guys [in the media] are going to get to know me, but I'm a competitive S.O.B., so I'm not very happy right now.
You fix it by getting back to work. I don't know; I probably won't sleep tonight and will be in the office first thing in the morning and be hypercritical of myself."
Still, there was a different edge to Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans didn’t go into South Bend acting like they were just hoping to survive. They wanted to leave 3-0, and that mindset showed up even after the game started going against them.
Notre Dame jumped out fast. Michigan State was staring at a 10-0 hole before its offense had picked up a first down, and the opening sequence could have unraveled in a hurry.
The Irish hit a 61-yard deep ball on the first play, but the defense forced a field goal. Then the offense went three-and-out, the punt got partially blocked, and Notre Dame took over in MSU territory before marching 41 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown.
Even in that rough stretch, the Spartans had a few moments that kept the game from spinning out. They forced Notre Dame to settle for that field goal after the long completion, and on the first touchdown drive, the Irish had to convert two fourth downs. Later, after Alessio Milivojevic threw an interception on MSU’s second drive, the defense answered by stopping a fake punt and producing a four-and-out.
That’s the bigger picture here: Michigan State didn’t get buried by the scoreboard. Notre Dame controlled the game, but the Spartans made some of the damage come through execution mistakes and cleaner football from the Irish rather than through a full-blown talent avalanche.
The numbers back up at least some of that. Michigan State has now dropped 12 straight games to AP Top 25 teams, but the 27 points allowed on Saturday were the fewest the Spartans have given up in that stretch against ranked opponents.
Last season, MSU allowed 45 points at then-No. 25 USC, 38 at No.
3 Indiana, and 31 against No. 25 Michigan.
And in those games, garbage-time scores at USC and Michigan made the margins look a little kinder than they really were.
There were still plenty of mistakes, of course. Kenneth Williams’ touchdown drop was the most glaring one, though it was the kind of play that usually gets completed and, even then, Michigan State had several linemen illegally downfield. The partially blocked punt was another ugly moment, and Fitzgerald said some of the bigger pass-game gains came because corners were allowing receivers free releases while lined up in press coverage.
Those are fixable issues, and that matters. Against a No. 3 team, errors pile up fast.
But this game felt more like a collection of early-season mistakes than a case of Michigan State simply being overwhelmed for 60 minutes. Notre Dame won by being cleaner and more consistent, and the Spartans still have work to do.
The difference is that Saturday looked like a game with correctable problems, not just a game where the gap swallowed everything.
In Other News...
Jayden Reed Injury Had Michigan State Fans Fearing The Worst
Jayden Reeds injury in a Week 2 game had the kind of immediate impact that makes former Michigan State fans hold their breath. When the Green Bay Packers wide receiver was carted off the field, the scene quickly turned from concern to full-blown alarm, especially with how serious it looked in real time.
The initial fear eased a bit after the Packers said Reed had feeling and movement in all extremities and would remain under observation. Reed later added a social media update of his own, saying he is doing better and appreciative of the support, a reassuring sign for everyone who has followed his journey from East Lansing to the NFL. [Read more 🡒]
Former Spartans Made Jim Harbaughs NFL Debut Even Sweeter
Jim Harbaughs first game in charge of the Chargers had an unfamiliar feel for a coach who spent so many years around Michigan football, and it got even more familiar in the wrong way once the Raiders started making plays with help from some former Spartans. Quarterback Kirk Cousins found receiver Cody White for two touchdown catches in the Week 2 matchup, giving Michigan State fans a little extra reason to track a game that already carried plenty of history.
White was hardly alone in leaving a mark on the result. Jalen Nailor and Connor Heyward were also part of the Raiders contribution in the win over Harbaughs Chargers, adding another layer to a result that connected the NFL back to East Lansing in a hurry. For Michigan State followers, it was the kind of pro-football reminder that former Spartans keep showing up in meaningful spots, especially when the spotlight is on a familiar opponent. [Read more 🡒]
No. 1 Michigan State Let This Rivalry Match Slip Away
Michigan States unbeaten start came to an abrupt end in Ann Arbor, where the No. 1 Spartans fell 3-1 to Michigan in a rivalry match that changed in a hurry after halftime. Emerson Sargeant gave the Spartans the opening goal, but they could not add to it, and Michigans defense got enough help from goalkeeper Malia Zillman, who finished with eight saves, to keep the pressure from turning into an answer.
The bigger concern for Michigan State was how quickly the game got away from it once the momentum shifted. Michigan found a way to break through and then kept the Spartans on their heels the rest of the way, handing Michigan State its first loss of the season and underscoring how thin the margin can be in a rivalry game, even for a top-ranked team. [Read more 🡒]