MSU football hangs tough vs Notre Dame, then CJ Carr takes over

SOUTH BEND, IN – Michigan State football faced its biggest test of the young season in the new era under coach Pat Fitzgerald on Saturday, Sept. 19, against No. 3 Notre Dame.

Fitzgerald was full of energy on the sideline as the Spartans brought physicality and toughness, but a few too many plays from the Irish from star quarterback CJ Carr and mistakes from the Spartans – including a dropped touchdown catch – gave way to an MSU 27-10 loss to Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Irish (3-0) outrushed MSU (2-1), 161-44.

MSU entered as four-touchdown underdogs, and now looks to Big Ten Conference play in Week 4 next Saturday against Nebraska (3-0) at Spartan Stadium (5 p.m., Big Ten Network).

Alessio Milivojevic was under duress all night and finished 9-for-17 for 123 yards and two interceptions. Cam Edwards was the leading rusher with 12 carries for 38 yards, but slipped and injured his left foot late in the game trying to block a blitz.

Backup quarterback Cam Fancher scored a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and had a touchdown pass dropped by a wide-open Kenneth Williams in the back of the end zone that forced MSU to settle for a field goal to trail 10-3.

It was over when …

A weird first half featured everything from a dropped touchdown pass by MSU resulting in a field goal (10-3), a rushing score for Notre Dame that could have been a fumble and an inexplicable fourth-and-13 fake punt by the Irish that was stopped short. Yet the Spartans went into the locker room down, 17-10.

MSU was forced to punt away after its first possession of the second half stalled at its own 38. Then the Irish put together a soul-crushing drive, with Jones hammering the Spartans’ defensive line repeatedly on the ground and Carr connecting repeatedly to move the chains.

Slowly and methodically, Notre Dame marched deep into MSU territory, where Joe Rossi’s defense again rallied for a stop and forced a 35-yard Spencer Porath field goal. But the damage came in the details – the Irish milked a precious 9 minutes, 43 seconds off the clock on a drive that took 17 plans and went 77 yards, leaving the Spartans gashed and gasping for air.

Player of the game

Carr, a Saline native and the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, looked as good as advertised.

The junior’s accuracy was on full display immediately, with a 61-yard bomb over MSU’s defense on the game’s first play. However, the Spartans bowed up and stuffed the Irish to a field goal.

Carr hit two critical fourth-down throws on the next drive, which resulted in a 2-yard Nolan James Jr. touchdown run. His big two throws that set up his touchdown run in the fourth quarter showed why NFL scouts love his potential – a 28-yard needle-thread between coverage levels to Micah Gilbert followed by a perfect outside shoulder throw to the receiver two plays later for 39 yards.

The 3-yard touchdown run proved to be the knockout punch Notre Dame needed for a 27-10 edge early in the fourth. Carr finished 18-for-24 for 234 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He was sacked just once, evading Kenny Soares Jr. a few times in highlight fashion.

Trending up

After getting hurt in the opener against Toledo and missing last week’s win over Eastern Michigan, linebacker Jordan Hall showed just how much of an impact he makes on MSU’s defense.

The senior captain put together a highlight reel in the first quarter, making six tackles on Notre Dame’s first seven offensive plays. By halftime, Hall had nine stops and he finished the game with a game and career high 13 tackles despite banging his injured right elbow. MSU lost fellow starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff in the first half.

Trending down

MSU’s secondary struggled all game against Carr. Against the elite speed and skill of the Irish wide receivers, the Spartans looked sluggish and slow.

Carr attacked cornerback Tre Bell immediately and frequently, as well as Tyran Chappell. Charles Brantley picked up a holding penalty that negated an interception. Bell also had a pass interference penalty in the end zone to set up a controversial 2-yard Aneyas Williams touchdown run in the second quarter. Replay showed Williams fumbled, but refs on the field called it a touchdown before the ball came out and TV angles proved inconclusive if he crossed the plane.

MSU’s Kenneth Williams also dropped a potential TD in the end zone from Fancher on a sprint out pass, with the running back wide open in the back right of the end zone as the ball clanged off his hands.

Michigan State football schedule

With the Spartans’ nonconference season complete, Big Ten play begins with a visit from Nebraska next Saturday. The Huskers defeated FCS-opponent North Dakota on Saturday, 34-7, to improve to 3-0 under fourth-year coach Matt Rhule. Like MSU, Nebraska also has two wins over Mid-American Conference foes (49-21 over Ohio and 56-7 over Bowling Green).

Here's the full MSU 2026 schedule.

• Week 1: W, 30-20 vs Toledo.
• Week 2: W, 35-7 vs Eastern Michigan.
• Week 3: L, 27-10 at Notre Dame.
• Week 4: vs Nebraska, Saturday, Sept. 26 (5 p.m., BTN).
• Week 5: at Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 3 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 6: vs Illinois, Saturday, Oct. 10 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 7: vs Northwestern, Saturday, Oct. 17 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 8: at UCLA, Saturday, Oct. 24 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 9: BYE.
• Week 10: at Michigan, Saturday, Nov. 7 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 11: vs Washington, Saturday, Nov. 14 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 12: vs Oregon, Friday, Nov. 20 (8 p.m. ET, Fox).
• Week 13: at Rutgers, Saturday, Nov. 28 (time and TV TBA).

[ BLUE WALL? Graham Couch joined the "Freep Sports Show," your go-to Detroit/Michigan sports podcast, available anywhere you listen/watch (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). ]

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU football hangs tough vs Notre Dame, then CJ Carr takes over