Michigan State didn’t leave South Bend with a win, but it did leave with evidence that it can stand in the ring with a top opponent for stretches. The Spartans matched No. 3 Notre Dame with enough resistance, enough fight and enough explosive play to make this one feel competitive for a while - even if the final margin settled at 27-10.
The night started with a jolt. On Notre Dame’s first snap, Saline, Michigan-raised quarterback CJ Carr launched a 61-yard strike to Micah Gilbert, and the Irish receiver never looked back. Gilbert turned that opening shot into a huge night of his own, finishing with eight catches for 170 yards.
Michigan State’s defense answered the early punch with one of its best stands of the evening. Behind a strong performance from senior linebacker Jordan Hall, Joe Rossi’s unit held Notre Dame to a field goal after the long completion. It was the kind of response the Spartans needed after a fast start from the Irish.
The offense, though, couldn’t stay on the field long enough. Michigan State’s first drive disappeared in three plays, and that became a familiar theme as the game wore on. Notre Dame promptly went back to work and finished a 10-0 march with Nolan James Jr. punching in a 2-yard score after a drive that featured five rushes and five passes.
Down 10-0, sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic tried to attack vertically and ran into trouble. His 31-yard throw intended for graduate receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. was picked off by Luke Talich, who read the play cleanly for his first interception of the season.
Milivojevic owned it afterward.
“To be honest, it’s just eyes,” Milivojevic said. “You’ve got to hold players.
It was a whole player and a one-high safety that caught those picks. So, it’s just me holding them on the other side so I can make those windows open for my receivers.”
Michigan State still found a way to settle in offensively for a stretch, helped by the split-quarterback look with graduate quarterback Cam Fancher. As rain began to fall, Fancher’s mobility gave the Spartans a lift, and he also nearly delivered a touchdown throw to junior running back Kenneth Williams in the back of the end zone. Williams couldn’t haul it in, so the drive ended with a 32-yard field goal.
That cut the deficit to 10-3, but Notre Dame quickly answered. The Irish went right back down the field, averaging 7.5 yards per play on the drive, and Aneyas Williams finished it off from a yard out to push the lead to 17-3.
Michigan State responded with its biggest offensive play of the night. For the third time, the Spartans had a drive that lasted just three plays, but this time it produced a burst instead of another stalled possession.
Milivojevic connected with Bullard Jr. on a 53-yard touchdown, the longest play of the season. Fancher then added a 15-yard rushing score, and suddenly it was 17-10 at halftime.
The Spartans opened the second half with the ball and had a chance to build on that momentum, but the possession stalled after six straight runs and ended with a punt. From there, Notre Dame did exactly what a team with a lead wants to do: drain the clock, stay patient and keep the chains moving. The Irish chewed through nearly the entire third quarter before adding a field goal to make it a 10-point game again.
Michigan State had one more shot to answer, and Milivojevic started that drive with completions of 18 and 13 yards. But the series lost steam quickly after he was sacked twice in three plays, forcing another punt.
Carr then finished the job for Notre Dame. He needed just four plays to get the Irish back into the end zone, closing the drive with a 3-yard keeper. That was Carr’s only touchdown of the night, and he finished 18-for-24 for 234 yards as Notre Dame controlled the finish.
Still, Hall said the Spartans believe there’s more ahead.
“I think everybody on the team believes in the guys that we have in the room,” Hall said. “All the goals that we had on the table before the year are still on the table, and we’re going to continue to try to achieve those goals.”
Fitzgerald’s message was more direct.
“There’s no such thing as a moral victory,” Fitzgerald said. “You guys know me: I’m a competitive SOB, so I’m not very happy right now. But you fix it by getting back to work.”
Michigan State is now 2-1 and heads back to Spartan Stadium to open Big Ten play against Nebraska. The Spartans host the Cornhuskers at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.
- The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
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