Notre Dame left Saturday night with a 27-10 win over Michigan State and a 3-0 record, and the Irish are still rolling through the early part of the season. The margin wasn’t as lopsided as what they posted against Wisconsin or Rice, but that fit the conversation around the game all week: Michigan State was supposed to be the toughest opponent Notre Dame had seen so far.
That made this one less about the scoreboard and more about who helped themselves inside the program - and who didn’t. A few players came out of the win with their momentum clearly building. Others looked like they were losing ground fast.
Micah Gilbert was one of the biggest winners. The wide receiver arrived in South Bend with plenty of hype, but his role had been limited until recently.
He had already picked up his first touchdown of the season against Rice, and against Michigan State he turned in the best game of his career, finishing with 8 catches for 170 yards. That yardage total was more than he had in any season before the Week 3 game.
Nolan James Jr. also made a strong case for a bigger role. He entered the game as Aneyas Williams’ backup, but there had already been some indication from position coach Ja'Juan Seider that the job was open for competition.
James may have taken full advantage. He logged 26 carries for 121 yards, both career highs, and added 2 receptions for 7 yards.
Notre Dame’s offense likes to rotate backs, but the second half belonged to James.
Boubacar Traore didn’t fill up the traditional stat sheet in a flashy way, but his night was still a strong one. He finished with 1 sack and 1 tackle, along with 4 quarterback hurries and 1 quarterback hit. Pro Football Focus gave him an 80.4 overall grade, the second-best mark on the defense, and that was a clear step up from his previous two games, when he posted grades of 64.9 and 62.8.
On the other side of the ledger, Keon Keeley’s stock took a hit. There was optimism around him entering the season, and last week against Rice it seemed like he was starting to settle in.
Against Michigan State, though, he was on the field for just 9 snaps and didn’t make much of an impact. His 44.4 PFF grade made him the lowest-ranked defensive player on Notre Dame.
Jaiden Ausberry also struggled to carry over his Rice performance. He played about the same number of snaps in both games, but the results were very different.
He was disruptive against the Owls, then finished with a 56.5 overall PFF grade against the Spartans. With so much talent on the defensive line, that kind of drop could start pushing him out of the rotation.
Aneyas Williams may have had the roughest night of the group. He had started the first three games of the season, but Saturday brought a difficult outing, including a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct on his touchdown in the first half.
He had just one touch after halftime, and it went for a two-yard loss. Maybe the coaches were trying to send a message.
More likely, Williams was being moved down the depth chart.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Suddenly Has Another Safety Concern Before Purdue
Luke Talichs status is suddenly worth watching as Notre Dame turns the page toward Purdue, after the safety left a recent game early and never returned. The Irish have not said whether Talich is dealing with an injury or what his availability looks like for the matchup ahead, which leaves one more small uncertainty in a secondary that already has plenty to manage.
Joey OBrien, a freshman, could be the next man up if Talich cant go, and that would put even more on his plate at a position where every rep matters. For Notre Dame, it is the kind of late-week question that can change depth charts quickly, even before the first snap against the Boilermakers. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame's Offense Is Forcing A Bigger CJ Carr Debate
Notre Dames 27-10 win over Michigan State kept the momentum rolling and pushed the Irish to 3-0, but it also sharpened a familiar offensive question. The running game has still not fully found its footing, even with some improvement, while CJ Carr has kept showing why the passing attack deserves a bigger role in the weekly plan.
Carr has been efficient and accurate enough to make the offense look more comfortable through the air than on the ground, and that balance matters as the schedule tightens. The Irish are winning, but the way they are winning is starting to point toward a larger conversation about how much more they should lean into the quarterback who has been delivering. [Read more 🡒]
Micah Gilbert Just Changed What Notre Dame's Passing Game Can Be
Micah Gilberts breakout against Michigan State gave Notre Dame a different kind of passing-game jolt, one that showed up immediately and kept building from there. He finished with eight catches for 170 yards, the best receiving total by a Notre Dame player since 2017, and the evening started with a bang when CJ Carr found him for a 61-yard gain on the first play. Gilbert kept winning after that, turning a contested 39-yard catch into another key moment and finishing with a career high while continuing a strong start to his season.
For Notre Dame, the performance mattered beyond the box score because it hinted at a more dangerous and more flexible offense when a receiver can stretch the field and make tough catches in traffic. Gilberts night against Michigan State was the kind of showing that can change how a defense has to line up, and it left the Irish with a new wrinkle to build around as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]