Winners, Losers from Michigan State's Defeat at Notre Dame
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Michigan State put together a better-than-anticipated effort at Notre Dame on Saturday night. Alas, the Spartans made too many costly mistakes for any serious shot at winning, falling to the third-ranked Irish, 27-10.
This was a measuring-stick game for MSU. The good news is that Michigan State probably doesn't play a team this good the rest of the way, and the fact that the Spartans never let this one get truly out of hand has some value.
Winners/Risers
QB Cam Fancher
There was a heavy dose of second-string quarterback Cam Fancher during this one, and he showed why he should have a role in this offense. Fancher really should've had a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown during the first half. He got his rushing one with 3:21 to go until half, scampering in a designed run from 15 yards out. What should've been a passing touchdown was dropped by Kenneth Williams.
Fancher got a bit of playing time against Toledo and Eastern Michigan, but he almost became the Spartans' starting quarterback once Michigan State got into field goal range. This could be MSU's response to the red zone troubles it had against Toledo, but it will be very interesting to see how Fancher and his mobility get utilized moving forward.
LB Jordan Hall
Star linebacker Jordan Hall also returned to the field on Saturday after missing last week's game against Eastern Michigan. He was all over the field early and finished the first half with nine total tackles. Nobody on either team at the break had more than four.
Hall was a part of a run defense that held up pretty well, actually. Notre Dame has struggled with establishing the run early on in the season, and those woes continued against the Spartans. The Fighting Irish were averaging just 3.4 yards per carry at the break, and Hall was a really big part of that.
Losers/Fallers
CB Tre Bell
Things weren't great early on Saturday for starting corner Tre Bell. He got burnt on the very first play of the game for a 61-yard Notre Dame gain --- though safety Devin Vaught probably should've been providing some help there. Still, that's not a great way to start the day.
Bell also got flagged for pass interference during a critical third down in the second quarter. He was beat on a double move by Notre Dame receiver Jordan Faison and didn't turn and look for a slightly underthrown ball from Irish quarterback CJ Carr. That put the ball on the MSU 3-yard line, and Notre Dame scored two plays later. Bell partially made up for it when he defended a near-identical play much, much better late in the third quarter.
CB Charles Brantley
Saturday wasn't cornerback Charles Brantley's night, either. He's been on this weekly piece all three games now --- a faller in Week 1 vs. Toledo, and a winner last week vs. Eastern Michigan. Brantley had two costly mistakes during the Spartans' loss.
One of them negated an interception, with Brantley committing a pass interference that the most biased Michigan State fanatic wouldn't argue with. The second came in the fourth with MSU down 10. Brantley was on an island after the Spartans went with Cover 1, and he simply got beat for a 39-yard gain that put the Irish on the 3-yard line. Notre Dame scored on the very next play.
RB Kenneth Williams
Sadly, the performance of Kenneth Williams on Saturday boiled down to one play. MSU was driving and had the ball in the red zone early in the second quarter, down 10-0 at the time. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan dialed up an absolute beauty of a play while second-string quarterback Cam Fancher was in the game that had Williams open by about 10 yards in the end zone.
Williams tried to catch a pass with his hands that he probably should've caught with his body or stomach a bit. The ball bounced off Williams' fingertips and landed harmlessly (for the home fans, at least) on the turf. Michigan State had to settle for a field goal moments later, meaning the drop essentially cost the Spartans four points.
MSU's Wide Receivers (except Bullard)
One of the big concerns entering the game would be the production of MSU's wide receivers against Notre Dame's elite secondary. Well, with seconds left in the third, only one wide receiver had gotten a catch --- Rodney Bullard Jr. One of Bullard's catches came on a beautiful pass from Milivojevic for a 53-yard gain. The first catch from a non-Bullard receiver went Fredrick Moore's way on the final play of the third quarter. MSU's entire receiving corps finished with just five catches for 84 yards.
Michigan State was just going to need more from its pass game to win this game. Credit definitely goes to Notre Dame for stopping it --- I'm not sure if MSU even looked cornerback Leonard Moore's direction more than once or twice all game --- but this was a big "prove it" game for the Spartans' wideouts, and the results weren't entirely pretty.
More Analysis on Game Here
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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