Micah Gilbert’s explosive breakout and Luke Talich’s defensive masterclass fueled a dominant performance as the undefeated Irish stifled the Spartans to secure a commanding victory in South Bend.
Notre Dame improved to 3-0 with a convincing 27-10 victory over Michigan State. It wasn't always pretty, but the Irish never trailed and led by double digits for much of the game. There were standouts all over the field for Notre Dame, but a few players stood out above the rest.
Let's take a look at our players of the game for the Irish in the win.
OFFENSE - WR Micah Gilbert
Gilbert Stats: 8 catches, 170 yards, 21.3 YPC
Runners Up: QB CJ Carr, RB Nolan James Jr., OL Anthonie Knapp
Notre Dame had its first 100-yard pass catcher of the season, and it was also a breakout performance for Gilbert. The boundary receiver position was a question mark coming into the season, but Gilbert locked the position down in camp. He was solid in the first two games, but he was dominant in the win over Michigan State. It started early, with Gilbert getting over the top of the defense on a post-route to haul in a career-high 61 yard reception.
Over the next two quarters his production was primarily built around quick game, but he finished the game off in impression fashion. Gilbert hauled in an impressive seam throw for a 28-yard gain to kick off a drive. His 39-yard reception two plays later on a Go route set up the game-clinching touchdown. Gilbert's big plays led to 10 Irish points, and in each instance his combination of a strong release and route running prowess resulted in him getting open.
Quarterback CJ Carr (75-percent completions, 234 yards) and running back Nolan James Jr. (26 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD) would have been strong choices as well, but Gilbert's dominant breakout got the Irish started and helped put the Spartans away.
DEFENSE - S Luke Talich
Talich Stats: 3 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 break up
Runners Up: LB Drayk Bowen, DE Boubacar Traore, CB Leonard Moore
Notre Dame held Michigan State to 167 yards of offense, 3.7 yards per play and gave up just 11 first downs. When a unit dominates to that degree there are a number of impact players, but safety Luke Talich gets the nod here. Talich made a second straight start filling in for Brauntae Johnson, and he had the best game of his career. Talich finished with three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a late sack, an early interception and a pass break up in the end zone.
Talich was all over the field for Notre Dame, making plays in the run game, as a pass rusher, playing over the top in zone coverage and covering receivers in the pass game. It's rare that a player can rack up a sack, a tackle for loss, an interception and a pass break up in the same game. Talich was confident, he played downhill, he was a force against the run and he showed he's a really impressive athlete that can cover a lot of ground. Talich seemed to bait the Michigan State QB into the deep throw that he picked off. It was an outstanding performance.
Defensive end Boubacar Traore had a dominant pass rushing performance that warranted top player honors, as did linebacker Drayk Bowen, but no one was quite as impactful as Talich.
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