Rain, noise and a heavy underdog label didn’t stop Michigan State from leaving South Bend with something to build on.
The Spartans went into Notre Dame as nearly 30-point dogs against the No. 3 team in the country, and the night could have turned ugly fast. Instead, MSU showed enough fight, enough structure and enough creativity to walk away with a 17-point loss that still offered a few reasons for optimism.
The biggest bright spot was on the offensive sideline. Nick Sheridan called a game that felt inventive, especially when Michigan State got inside the 10.
There was movement, there were wrinkles, and there was more than the same old fade to the corner. Alessio throwing to Fancher, Fancher rolling out inside the 10 - those are the kinds of looks that suggest Sheridan trusts the quarterback room and has more in the bag than what showed up on the field Saturday.
That matters, not just for this season but beyond it. The creativity can help recruiting, and it also hints that the Spartans may have some surprises coming as the year goes on.
MSU only scored 10 points, but Notre Dame’s defense is no joke. The Irish secondary was outstanding, and Michigan State also hurt itself with too many mistakes.
The defense, for all its flaws, gave the Spartans a real chance to hang around. Yes, there were big plays allowed, and yes, that has to be cleaned up.
But after Notre Dame put together a surgical 10-minute drive in the third quarter, MSU answered by holding the Irish to three points. That response matters.
As Coach Fitzgerald said, they got beat 1 on1 and missed some fundamentals.
Jordan Hall’s presence also stood out. He was back, clearly not at 100%, but still out there providing effort and leadership.
The defense still needs plenty of work, but it held Notre Dame to its lowest point total of the year, with a big chunk of those points coming late. Considering how few people gave MSU a real shot, that’s not nothing.
There was also something in the way the Spartans kept competing. They did not fold.
They did not drift through the night. That’s a different feel from last year’s team, which would have quit.
By the end, they looked sad, angry and vengeful walking off the field. The team may have a real identity by the time this season is done, and that’s more than could be said in the Smith Era.
Coach saying he was “pissed” after the loss only reinforced that edge. There’s a culture being built here, and it has a chance if the right recruits arrive and time does its work.
The running backs deserve a nod too. They stepped in and picked up blocks in the gaps that likely saved Alessio from some serious punishment. There were at least two moments where they jumped in and absorbed what looked like freight trains, giving their quarterback a chance to keep the play alive.
Still, the clouds were obvious.
Michigan State has to get better at stopping the big play. The secondary needs to be tighter in coverage, and the one-on-one losses have to stop.
The pass interference calls were frustrating, especially after a pick, though the physicality itself wasn’t the issue. The backs need to turn and locate the ball more consistently, and they can’t keep giving up the first move and getting burned on deeper routes.
Notre Dame’s receivers may have been the better athletes, but MSU still has to close down those 15-plus-yard completions.
The sloppy details piled up too. Missed tackles kept extending plays and giving the Irish extra yards.
The PI flags took the life out of the defense, especially after a turnover with a decent return. Two turnovers didn’t help matters.
Neither did the partially blocked punt. Fitzgerald was clearly heated afterward, and it’s hard to blame him.
The question now is simple: can Michigan State clean it up before Nebraska and put together four solid, cohesive quarters?
Third downs were another sore spot. Too many times, the defense couldn’t get off the field when it needed to.
A few stops and a few punts might have made this a much tighter game. Instead, Notre Dame kept converting, kept grinding and eventually wore MSU down.
That 10-minute third-quarter drive was the turning point. It felt less like a schematic collapse and more like a string of missed chances that added up.
Michigan State lost in South Bend, but the trip still left the Spartans with something to hold onto. They’ll get Notre Dame in East Lansing next year, and this game should give them confidence that, if they play to their potential and cut down the mistakes, they can hang with good teams.
This group is going to beat somebody this year it’s not supposed to beat. That wasn’t the feeling before the season, but it is now.
And that’s how a 17-point loss can still feel strange in a positive way.
Nebraska comes to East Lansing next week, and for a team chasing bowl eligibility, it’s a must win.
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