Through three games, Notre Dame has yet to record its first sack.
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Notre Dame vs. Michigan State prediction roundtable with the Campus Insiders staff. Breaking down what will happen in Saturday’s matchup between the Fighting Irish and Spartans. The Spartans came into the game as the #12 team in the country, while the Irish were the #18 ranked team.
Michigan State bullied their way out to a 36-7 lead, which looks insurmountable until you consider nothing really is insurmountable in college football.
Notre Dame’s lone win on the year came over a week ago, when they defeated the Nevada Wolfpack 39-10 – which is an outcome most would expect. Notre Dame is No. 18 in the AP Poll and beat Nevada 39-10 after falling in double overtime to Texas in Austin on September 3. “What we have to do is clean up some things and we’re going to continue to work on it”, he said. But in the three-plus seasons since that charmed 2012 run to the national title game, the Irish have come up short again and again when faced with these marquee tests, and it’s a big reason why they haven’t won double-digit games in consecutive seasons since 1991-93. Notre Dame honored the members of the championship team to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
A kickoff return for touchdown overturned on a holding call. A 14 yard QB keeper to the sideline by DeShone Kizer gave the Fighting Irish a lead with 3:07 left in the quarter.
Saturday’s game was the 251st straight sellout at Notre Dame Stadium. Brown had 85 yards in 6 receptions while C.J. Sanders added 46 yards and a touchdown in 3 catches. Notre Dame responded with 21 unanswered points to pull within 36-28 with 6:02 remaining. His maternal grandfather, Jim Morse, was a running back at Notre Dame from 1954-56.
“It’s not like we’ve got a bunch of guys that don’t know what it’s like to go up against a physical, Big Ten opponent like Michigan State”, Kelly said. She and her husband Joe Nohner live in East Lansing while he pursues his Ph.D at Michigan State. A non-existent pass rush coupled with inconsistent secondary play are a recipe for disaster, as we’ve seen against Texas and Michigan State. “We certainly took a step from our first game”. Quarterback Jerod Evans threw for five touchdowns – two of which went to star receiver Isaiah Ford – while the Eagles’ offense only managed 124 yards against Bud Foster’s defense.
Overall, the Spartans proved the tougher of the two teams, dominating the Irish by continually pounding the ball and outrushing them 164 to 5 in the third quarter alone, while almost doubling the the time of possession in the quarter, 9:52 to 5:08. Following an 11-play, 92-yard drive, RJ Shelton took a shovel pass from Tyler O’Connor and took it around the outside for a 10-yard touchdown. ND scored three touchdowns to make it close, but they had no real leader on either end of the ball as both offense and defense sputtered.
Leading 15-7 after a first half in which it was the aggressor, Michigan State struck for two lightning-like touchdowns in 80 seconds to open a 29-7 advantage with6:28 left in the third quarter.
But when the Notre Dame offense needed a final drive, it couldn’t find one.
Kizer answered a long Holmes touchdown run with a quick, easy drive, capping it off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to a toe-tapping Equanimeous St. He made catches to move the chains and also made one catch that gave the Spartans a first down late in the game. And while the fast-paced Orange offense should give Notre Dame’s lagging defense some problems at MetLife Stadium, this is a defense that DeShone Kizer & Co. should briskly slice through on October 1. The play was not reviewed, however, and the score stood. “But the guys now understand what kind of program Notre Dame is”.
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At the end of the 3rd quarter, Michigan State lead Notre Dame 36-14. The Irish quarterback didn’t win a naval battle, but he delivered against one of the greatest defenses in college football history.
