Micah Gilbert wasted no time putting his stamp on Notre Dame’s 27-10 win over Michigan State. On the game’s first snap, CJ Carr found him for a 61-yard gain, and Gilbert kept stacking catches from there, finishing with career bests of eight receptions and 170 yards as the Fighting Irish moved to 3-0.
That burst set the tone for a night in which Notre Dame had answers on both sides of the ball. Carr was sharp and steady, going 18 of 24 for 234 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time in 15 starts, but he did add a rushing score, pushing his season total to seven.
The Irish also got a major lift from Nolan James, Jr., who delivered the kind of game-changing run that can bury a team late. He finished with 121 yards on eight carries, including a touchdown to close things out.
Aneyas Williams added another score on the ground, though Notre Dame’s rushing attack spent much of the night grinding rather than exploding. Still, the Irish became the first team to have both a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game since Oct.
12, 2020.
Michigan State never really settled in against Notre Dame’s defense. The Spartans were held to 167 total yards, and 53 of those came on the one pass play that set up their only touchdown. The Irish piled up 4.0 sacks, forced two interceptions, and added a fumble to keep the pressure on Alessio Milivojevic throughout the night.
Notre Dame struck first after that opening bomb to Gilbert. The drive stalled after two losses on the ground and a Carr scramble, but Spencer Porath finished it with a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Irish defense kept building momentum right away. DJ McKinney knocked down Milivojevic’s first pass, Tionne Gray followed with the first sack of his career, and then Matt Jeffrey came off the left side to block Rhys Dakin’s punt. That set Notre Dame up at the MSU 41, and James finished the short field with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 10-0 with 4:31 left in the first quarter.
Luke Talich then picked off Milivojevic on Michigan State’s third snap of the next drive, giving Notre Dame the ball at its own 27. Later, the Irish tried a fake punt on 4th and 13 from their own 39, but Brayden Robinson was stopped after an 11-yard run, handing the Spartans midfield position. Michigan State worked down to the 11 before settling for a field goal after Kenneth Williams dropped a wide-open end-zone pass two plays earlier.
Notre Dame answered with a 10-play, 75-yard march capped by a one-yard Williams touchdown. He handled seven carries for 31 yards on the drive.
The Spartans came right back with their best stretch of the half, as Milivojevic hit Rodney Bullard, Jr. for 53 yards to the Irish 15, and Cam Fancher scored on the next play from 15 yards out to pull Michigan State within 17-10 with 3:21 left before halftime. Bullard’s catch accounted for 41% of MSU’s 127 first-half yards.
After the break, Notre Dame kept leaning on its depth and its defense. The Irish moved 77 yards on 17 plays but settled for Porath’s 35-yard field goal. James was central again, adding 47 rushing yards and five receiving yards on the series.
Michigan State’s next possession went nowhere. Loghan Thomas and Armel Mukam combined for a sack that lost nine yards, and after an incompletion, Boubacar Traore forced the ball loose from Milivojevic in the pocket. The Spartans recovered, but they faced 4th and 31 and eventually punted, sending the ball back to Notre Dame at its own 33.
From there, the Irish were in control, with Gilbert’s breakout night and James’ late burst helping seal a win over the Spartans.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Keeps Rolling But One Irish Debate Just Got Louder
Notre Dames strong start kept rolling with a 27-10 win over Michigan State, pushing the Irish to 3-0 and giving them another solid overall performance to point to heading into the heart of the season. Micah Gilbert flashed as a real weapon in the passing game with eight catches for 170 yards, Nolan James Jr. added balance on the ground with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown, and linebacker Luke Talich continued to show up all over the field on defense.
Even so, the afternoon was not clean everywhere, and the parts that were less tidy may wind up drawing as much attention as the win itself. Aneyas Williams had a quiet day, while special teams left points and momentum on the table with a missed field goal and an unsuccessful fake punt, giving the Irish a few more issues to sort through even as the record keeps looking better. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has One Thing To Prove Against Michigan State
Notre Dame heads into its game with Michigan State carrying the kind of expectation that comes with being a heavy favorite. It is the 78th meeting between the programs, a matchup that has long carried more meaning than a typical nonconference game, and this one arrives with the Irish on firmer footing in the standings, a clear edge in the betting market and the kind of pressure that comes from being the more established team in the moment.
Still, the challenge is about more than simply being expected to win. Between the records, the coaching situations and the history between the schools, this is the sort of game that can reveal whether Notre Dame can handle being the more complete side without letting the setting turn into a trap. The Irish have the edge on paper, but this trip through an old rivalry will say plenty about how well they can back that up. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Faces Its First Real Pressure Test Under The Lights
Notre Dames first real pressure point of the season arrives under the lights Saturday night, when Michigan State comes to Notre Dame Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Both teams are unbeaten at 2-0, with the Irish rolling past Rice 52-0 and the Spartans following up a win over Eastern Michigan, setting up a matchup that should offer a much clearer read on where Marcus Freemans team stands early in the season.
The usual game-day details add to the significance of the night, from injury updates to the broadcast information and a weather forecast that could factor into the atmosphere. For Notre Dame, this is more than just another September tune-up, it is the kind of home spotlight game that can sharpen the conversation around a team trying to build on a dominant start while handling a more credible test. [Read more 🡒]