SOUTH BEND - Notre Dame’s first night game at Notre Dame Stadium brings another Big Ten opponent into the picture, and this one comes with a few names worth keeping an eye on.
The No. 3 Irish are 2-0, Michigan State is 2-0, and for the second time in the first three weeks Notre Dame is lining up against a Big Ten team. Wisconsin came first, Purdue is still ahead, and now the Spartans arrive as the latest test in a stretch that keeps pushing the independent Irish into Big Ten territory.
On the Michigan State side, running back Cam Edwards has been the early headliner. The former Connecticut back is the Big Ten’s leading rusher two weeks into the 2026 season, and he’s backed that up with 250 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries.
His 27-carry opener against Toledo was a career high, and he followed that with 152 yards against Eastern Michigan. Edwards, a 5-foot-11, 206-pound graduate transfer from Norwalk, Connecticut, already had preseason watch-list attention for the Maxwell and Walker awards after producing 2,690 yards and 27 touchdowns in 36 career games at UConn.
He also tied for first in Huskies history at 5.6 yards per carry and finished with nine 100-yard games there, plus a 10th last time out.
Another Spartan worth watching is safety Devin Vaught, who has adjusted quickly in his first Big Ten season. The 6-foot, 212-pounder from Charlotte spent three seasons at Maine, where he made 106 tackles, broke up nine passes, picked off six balls and had two and a half tackles for loss.
Through two games at Michigan State, he’s tied for the team lead with 13 tackles, including five against Toledo and eight against Eastern Michigan. He’s already looked settled on the back end of the defense.
Notre Dame has its own players to watch, starting with defensive end Rodney Dunham. The 6-4, 242-pound freshman from Charlotte was a coveted five-star recruit, but he hasn’t cracked the two deep because the Irish defensive line is so deep.
Still, he’s flashed in limited chances. Against Wisconsin, he recorded a tackle and a half tackle for loss.
Against Rice, he was in the rotation by early in the second quarter and finished with three tackles and a fumble recovery. He’s also already become a special teams regular under the new five-for-five eligibility rule.
Running back Aneyas Williams is another Irish player who stands out entering this one. The junior from Hannibal, Missouri opened the season with 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries against Wisconsin, then had 29 yards on nine carries against Rice.
He’s Notre Dame’s leading rusher, and he has already carried five more times than he did in all of 2025. With the Irish run game tied for 116th nationally at 114.5 yards per game, this is a chance for Williams and the offense to get going.
Prediction time brought a clean sweep for Notre Dame. Tom Noie picked the Irish 34-10, Austin Hough had them 38-10, and another prediction landed at 41-10. The common thread: Notre Dame should be in control and should come out of this one 3-0.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Sent A Strong Message In The Scheduling Debate
Notre Dame keeps adding to a nonconference slate that already carries more weight than most, and the latest move brings Nebraska back onto the schedule for the first time since 2001. The schools announced a two-game home-and-home series, with the first meeting set for Oct. 30, 2032, in Lincoln and the return game on Oct. 29, 2033, in South Bend. It is another notable addition for a program that has had to work to secure Power 4 opponents while protecting the kind of schedule its fans and playoff rsum demand.
The matchup also restores a familiar intersection between two storied brands that have not played often enough in recent years to lose its appeal. Nebraska has won the last three meetings, which gives the series a little extra edge before either side even gets to the field. For Notre Dame, it is the kind of scheduling decision that keeps the Irish in the national conversation, even as the sports calendar gets harder to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Added A Future Matchup That Will Split Fans
Notre Dames future schedule picked up another big-name addition with Nebraska officially locking in a home-and-home series for the 2032 and 2033 seasons. The Cornhuskers will host the Irish on Oct. 30, 2032, then head to South Bend on Oct. 29, 2033, giving both programs another marquee non-conference matchup to circle well in advance.
The series, announced by Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen, fits into the Huskers broader scheduling plans and gives Notre Dame another heavyweight opponent on the horizon. For Irish fans, it is the kind of intersectional series that will draw plenty of interest, even if the long runway means plenty can change before either game is played. [Read more 🡒]
Junior Tuihalamakas LSU Role Is Shifting Faster Than Notre Dame Fans Expected
Junior Tuihalamakas move from Notre Dame to LSU has already turned into a quieter sort of transition than some might have expected, with the former Fighting Irish defender mostly showing up on special teams through the Tigers first two wins of the 2026 season. He has seen only a handful of defensive snaps, but he has at least managed to get on the stat sheet with a tackle in limited action, a small early sign that he is working his way into the mix.
LSUs defensive line is still sorting itself out, with a group that includes multiple transfers and freshmen, so the path for Tuihalamaka is hardly fixed. For now, the role looks more like depth and support than a full-time defensive assignment, but that can change quickly over the course of a season as the Tigers keep reshaping their front. [Read more 🡒]