Irish Post Another Stellar Second Half in 27-10 Victory

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame football team (3-0) powered past Michigan State (2-1), 27-10, on a rainy evening in sold-out Notre Dame Stadium. Holding a 17-10 lead at halftime, the Irish, in similar fashion to their season-opening victory over Wisconsin in Lambeau Field three weeks ago, rode a physical and dominating second half en route to a comfortable win. 

Notre Dame outscored Michigan State 10-0 in the second half and held the Spartans to 40 total yards and zero rushing yards in the game’s final 30 minutes. 

“They responded to being challenged at halftime a little bit,” said Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman after the game. “I just didn't think we were playing clean.  And you know there's plays where Notre Dame beats Notre Dame, and we've got to eliminate those.  But to beat that team and to have some of those errors that we had and to win by 17, it's a good sign.”

Junior wide receiver Micah Gilbert enjoyed a break-out career-best day for Notre Dame, catching eight passes for 170 yards including a 61-yard explosive on the game’s first play. Nolan James Jr. rushed for a career-high 121 yards on 25 carries. 

Notre Dame’s defense intercepted Michigan State twice and posted three sacks, which included two key back-to-back plays to seize defensive control of the game early in the fourth quarter. Among the many standouts on the Irish defense was senior safety Luke Talich, who finished the game with three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a sack and a pass broken up.

The Irish went deep on the first play of the game. After a play-action fake, CJ Carr unloaded to Micah Gilbert, who was behind his defender and made an over-the-shoulder catch. The Spartan defender eventually tripped him up at the MSU 14-yard line for a 61-yard completion 

Michigan State stood strong at that spot. Two Aneyas Williams carries failed to gain and after Carr scrambled for seven yards on third down, Spencer Porath came in to knock through a 25-yard field goal to give the Irish a 3-0 lead. 

Notre Dame’s defense got the ball back in the offense’s hands quickly. DJ McKinney broke up a pass on the first play, Drayk Bowen stopped a run for four yards and then Tionne Gray recorded the first sack of his career on third down. 

The special teams then got involved when Matt Jeffery partially deflected the Spartan punt and the ball was downed at the MSU 41-yard line. 

The lead would grow for the home team on a drive that would feature two fourth-down conversions as the running game started to find its footing. Carr and Gilbert converted on fourth-and-four with an eight-yard pitch-and-catch. James Jr. then got seven yards and another five for the second first down of the drive. 

A short pass to Jordan Faison was followed by a James Jr. four-yard run to make it third and two at the six. Carr tried to hit Gilbert on the quick slant but it fell incomplete and the Irish kept the offense on the field.

Carr found Faison for the conversion to make it first and goal and James Jr. cut back left on the next play to dance into the end zone for a 10-point lead with 4:31 left in the first quarter. 

Michigan State earned one first down on the next drive before throwing deep. Talich moved over smoothly from his safety position and made a leaping interception at the Notre Dame 27-yard line. 

Michigan State committed a pass interference call on the first play of the next drive but the Irish could not take advantage. Jasper Scaife punted to the 11-yard line, but a holding call on Notre Dame forced a re-kick. 

Notre Dame went for the fake punt end around to Brayden Robinson on his first career touch. He rushed 11 yards on fourth and 13, however, and the Irish turned the ball over on downs. 

The Spartans took advantage to cut into the lead. They drove into scoring position but a combined tackle-for-loss from Talich and Adon Shuler pushed them back. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa then blitzed into the Spartan quarterback’s face on third down and Talich was all over his assignment to force a 32-yard field goal. The score was 10-3 with 10:05 left in the first half. 

Faison started out the next drive with a 21-yard catch. Aneyas Williams then rushed for nine, six and seven yards on consecutive carries to get the Irish into scoring position. Carr then spun his way out of a sack, scrambled to his left and found Mylan Graham for a first down to the Michigan State 24-yard line. 

On third-and-four, Carr looked to Faison in the endzone on the right side and he drew pass interference flags from all three officials watching the play. Two plays later Williams powered in for a one-yard touchdown run and the Irish were up 17-3 with 4:43 left in the second quarter. 

The Spartan offense answered the call. On second down after a play action fake, Alessio Milivojevic connected with Rodney Bullard for a 53-yard pass. The play was reviewed, but upheld by video replay and one play later back up quarterback Cam Fancher subbed in and kept it around the left side for a 15-yard touchdown run. 

With their lead cut to seven points and 3:21 left in the half, the Irish offense went three-and-out as the rain started to fall in Notre Dame Stadium. Michigan State could not move the ball on their drive either and the teams went into the locker room with the Irish ahead 17-10. 

Michigan State would earn just one first down on its first drive of the second 30 minutes of the game before the Irish defense held strong and forced a great punt that was downed at the Notre Dame six-yard line. 

Gilbert caught back-to-back passes for a combined 21 yards to move the Irish out of the shadow of their own endzone. James Jr. then took over control of the drive with three third-down runs to move the sticks. Gilbert moved over 100 yards receiving with his sixth catch of the night on the drive. 

Notre Dame was faced with a third and seven at the MSU 17. Carr saw a late change in the Spartan defense but his signal to the receiver came a second late and the play clock expired. Now moved five yards back, James Jr. caught a swing pass out of the back field for five yards and Porath came on to nail a 35-yard field goal and put the Irish back up 10 points after a 17-play, 77-yard drive that devoured 9:42 of the third quarter.

Now it was the defense’s turn and they stepped up. Viliamu-Asa had an initial pressure on second down and then Loghan Thomas came through to clean it up for a sack. It was third and long and Boubacar Traore entered the picture, sacking the quarterback and forcing a fumble recovered by MSU. 

The Micah Gilbert show continued when the Irish took the field for the drive. Carr found him for 28 yards, then dropped a pass in a bucket over Gilbert’s shoulder again down to the three-yard line. Carr then ran in for a touchdown on a designed quarterback draw. 

The Irish momentum continued on Michigan State’s first play when Adon Shuler intercepted a pass to set Notre Dame up in scoring range. Unfortunately, the drive would stall and Porath missed from 39 yards out. 

Notre Dame’s pass rush continued to dominate on Michigan State’s next drive. They were able to gain one first down, but the defense was in the quarterback’s face on every play. On third and long Talich timed his blitz perfectly and added a sack to his big defensive effort.

Michigan State punted the ball away with 5:02 remaining and would not get the ball back. Eight consecutive runs from James Jr. piled up 42 yards until the Irish entered victory formation to finish the game.