A ferocious defensive effort and gritty performance by Jordan Hall kept the Spartans competitive against the elite Irish, providing momentum despite late offensive struggles and costly turnovers.
Coming in as nearly 30-point underdogs, Pat Fitzgerald and the Michigan State Spartans knew they were facing an uphill battle.
They gave it everything they had, but the No. 3 team in the nation proved to be too much as Notre Dame defeated Michigan State 27-10 Saturday night.
Although the Spartans could not come away with the victory, and moral victories mean nothing in the standings, Michigan State should absolutely take this loss with its head held high and confidence moving forward.
There is plenty to clean up, but the schedule now turns to Big Ten play. While it will not be as difficult as facing the No. 3 team in the nation every week, the Spartans now face nine straight games against Power Four competition.
The best thing Michigan State had going for it was its defense.
Although the Spartans allowed some big plays, the number of hard-hitting tackles was nothing to scoff at. Michigan State's defense did everything it could to keep the Spartans in the game, and for a long time, it did exactly that.
There were plays the Spartans would like to have back, including a couple of missed tackles in the backfield. Kenny Soares, in particular, missed two potential sacks because he could not wrap up Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.
Still, the Spartans were tasked with doing everything they could to keep Michigan State in the game against one of the best teams in the country, and they accomplished that for much of the night.
Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the nation, and the Spartans cannot be too upset about allowing some of the plays they did, especially considering how many times Michigan State's defense was able to hold the Fighting Irish.
Jordan Hall led the defense and, as the only returning senior for the Spartans, was everywhere. As Ted Lasso fans would say, Jordan Hall was here, there and everywhere.
Hall was playing with a hurt right elbow that kept him out of the Week 2 game against Eastern Michigan. He even briefly left Saturday night's game after taking some bad contact to that elbow, but he returned and continued making an impact for the Spartans.
Nikai Martinez also had a very good game, but one major loss came early when starting linebacker Brady Petzlaff left with an injury and did not return.
The game started with a huge 61-yard play over Tre Bell, who was also called for a costly pass interference penalty that helped Notre Dame get within the 2-yard line before ultimately scoring.
Bell played well outside of a few plays, but unfortunately, those plays proved to be too much to overcome.
Offensively, it was a difficult night.
The offensive line held strong for much of the game, but as the night wore on, it became clear that the stamina was beginning to wear off. Notre Dame started generating more and more pressure, turning Milivojevic into a pressured quarterback.
That pressure resulted in two interceptions for Milivojevic, his first two of the season. Both came on forced passes as the Fighting Irish continued to bring pressure.
The rush was constant and ferocious. Milivojevic had nearly 1.5 seconds on many pass attempts to get the ball out, leaving the Spartans with little time to develop passing plays down the field.
Before things got ugly, Michigan State was doing its best to move the ball with a couple of big passes, including a deep shot to Rodney Bullard.
Tight end Jayden Savoury once again showed up when called upon, as he has throughout the season. He finished second on the team in receiving yards and led the Spartans in receiving for the second consecutive week.
Late in the game, Cam Edwards, Michigan State's bread and butter, came up limping after a rough day at the office. Edwards managed just 38 yards on 12 carries as the Spartans eventually moved away from the rushing attack while trailing by two or three possessions.
That limited Edwards' opportunity to put together a bigger day, but the injury late in the game is certainly not what Michigan State wanted to see. That will be something to monitor moving forward.
Overall, the Spartans showed that they are not quite ready to hang with the big dogs.
However, they also showed a ton of poise and control during a dogfight against the No. 3 team in the country.
Michigan State will look to regain its momentum next week when it travels to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
Entering the first Big Ten matchup for both teams, Michigan State sits at 2-1, while Wisconsin also sits at 2-1. Both teams' only loss this season has come against Notre Dame.
