GO GREEN! Jonathan BassI’m staring across the cube at my co-worker, Jeff, who is a Michigan State alumnus, Sparty homer, and, not-coincidentally happens to be wearing a Michigan State shirt.
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The Irish have won four of the last five in this series, but this year likely marks the worst defense Notre Dame has had for these games as of late (and it’s not exactly their fault). He has fond memories of those nights in East Lansing.
Michigan State is 6-2 against ranked opponents the past three seasons. MSU continued on to post an 12-3 run, limiting their visitors to a -.042 hitting percentage as they built to a 17-11 lead. They beat Furman 28-13 but allowed the Paladins, an FCS team, to stay sort of close well into the second half. The Spartans still want balance, so expect a solid dose of newly anointed lead back LJ Scott after his 20-carry, 105-yard, one-TD game against Furman. “Very good plan, very methodical, and it’s a winning plan”. I mean, there isn’t a whole lot to love outside of a few really, really good players. “They’re going to line up to see if we can play ball with them, and that’s what it’s about”. Notre Dame has a chance for redemption this weekend when it hosts 2015 playoff participant Michigan State. The last time MSU went to South Bend, the Fighting Irish used an all-pass-interference offense and took advantage of multiple awful calls to win in 2013.
Maybe there’s some correlation there with Kelly knowing how to coach against Dantonio.
Texas rushed for 237 yards against the Notre Dame front seven, even finding success when the entire stadium knew quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was going to take the snap and try to make a play on the ground.
After senior captain and quarterback Tyler O’Connor said this week has been the “toughest bye week that we’ve had since we’ve been here over the past two years”, O’Connor talked about how the team was preparing for the game.
Notre Dame gained an early advantage in the third set at 8-5 but was unable to sustain the success, as Michigan State scored the next four points to force a timeout from the Irish. “So from that point of view, I think there will always be a respect from the people of Michigan State in place because of that aspect, I would think”. Five of those calls came against future first-round National Football League cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard and Trae Waynes – four pass-interference infractions and one defensive holding penalty.
With that being said, here’s five reasons why the Spartans will pull off another upset against DeShone Kizer and the Fighting Irish. Brown and C.J. Sanders as Notre Dame tries to puncture the Spartan phalanx on the perimeter.
Notre Dame finished 75th nationally in sacks past year with 25. And as long as Kizer is quarterbacking the Irish, this team will be competitive. “You think about 50 years after the tie game, this started 119 years ago”, he said, recalling the 10-10 stalemate in 1966.
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Almost 50 years ago, No. 1 Notre Dame played No. 2 Michigan State at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, in what was being called – yes, even back then – the “Game of the Century”. But just because the Irish are armed with that knowledge doesn’t guarantee success against it.
