The Michigan State Spartans get Eastern Michigan in Week 2, but nobody around the program is pretending next Saturday isn’t sitting in the background. Notre Dame is coming, and the first road game of the year in South Bend will force Michigan State to show a lot more than it did in a close call against Toledo.
That makes this weekend feel like more than just another early-season test. Pat Fitzgerald’s team needs a cleaner, sharper performance against the Eagles if it wants to carry any real momentum into a primetime matchup with the Fighting Irish.
With a new coaching staff, a new-look roster and a program still trying to define itself, perfection was never going to be there right away. But progress has to be.
There are signs the Spartans can take something from last week and build on it. The flaws showed up, but they also looked fixable. Against Eastern Michigan, Michigan State has to start turning that into production, whether that means creating more offense or tightening things up on the other side of the ball.
Joe Rossi’s defense has a chance to be solid, but only if it cuts off the explosive plays that gave Toledo life in East Lansing. Big gains in the run game or through the air would be exactly the kind of thing that can turn a game against Notre Dame into a grind. The assignment this week is straightforward: better gap integrity, better run fits, better zone discipline and better technique across the board.
The red zone was one bright spot against Toledo, but the offense left more on the table than it cashed in. Liam Boyd was perfect with five field goals, and Rodney Bullard’s five-yard touchdown was the Spartans’ lone red-zone trip to end in the end zone. Nick Sheridan’s offense got moving early on a lot of drives, but too many possessions stalled before they could become something bigger.
If Michigan State wants any shot at bothering Notre Dame, it has to find more explosiveness. Alessio Milivojevic needs to push the ball downfield with more aggression, and the run game has to do its part to create chunk gains. Against Eastern Michigan, that’s the work that matters most.
In Other News...
Michigan State Just Made An Early Big Ten Statement At USC
Michigan State wasted little time making its presence felt in Big Ten play at USC, turning in a one-sided road performance that looked every bit like a team intent on setting an early tone. Kennedy Bell led the charge with two goals, while Kayla Briggs added a goal and two assists as the Spartans kept the pressure on from start to finish and never let the Trojans settle in.
The result gave Michigan State its fourth shutout of the season and another strong sign that the defense is backing up the attack. Bella Schopp needed only two saves to secure her second clean sheet of the year, and with the Spartans already looking sharp on both ends, the bigger question now is how far this early Big Ten statement can carry them as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Path To A Top Seed Suddenly Looks Much Tougher
Dukes newly released 2026-27 mens basketball schedule makes one thing clear for anyone around the sport: the Blue Devils are not getting a soft road to March. The slate is loaded from top to bottom, with Michigan State, Illinois, UConn, Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Louisville, NC State and Virginia all on the docket, plus a series of neutral-site showcases that should keep the spotlight on Jon Scheyers team all season.
For Michigan State, the trip into that mix adds another high-end measuring stick to a schedule already built around marquee competition. The timing matters, too, because Dukes November gauntlet and the late-season closing stretch both feature multiple opponents with tournament credentials, the kind of run that can shape seeding, resume strength and the margin for error long before Selection Sunday arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Get A Chance To Honor A Program-Building Coach
Walt Drenth is getting his due at Michigan State, where the former Director of Cross Country and Track & Field will join the schools Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2026. Drenth built a lasting footprint in East Lansing through a coaching career that included multiple Big Ten titles and the 2014 NCAA womens cross country national championship, accomplishments that helped shape one of the programs strongest modern stretches.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Sept. 11, 2026, with a special recognition planned during the Michigan State-Eastern Michigan football game the following day. Hell be honored alongside six other athletes, giving Spartans fans another chance to salute one of the people who helped raise the standard across the department, even if the spotlight usually falls elsewhere on fall Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]