Michigan State Report Card: No Answers After Halftime
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Michigan State suffered its first loss of the season Saturday night, falling to the third-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish 27-10. Despite the tough outcome, the linebackers graded out best on defense in this week’s Michigan State report card, after Jordan Hall had a nine-solo tackle performance.
Quarterbacks: D+
Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic struggled to get going Saturday night. He completed just nine passes on 17 attempts and finished with 123 passing yards. Milivojevic also struggled with turnovers, throwing two interceptions, the first time he’s thrown multiple in a game in college. Backup quarterback Cam Fancher, while not completing a pass, did rush twice for 18 yards, with one being the Spartans’ only touchdown.
Running Backs: D
After leading the team during last week’s 35-7 win against Eastern Michigan, the running backs were a non-factor against Notre Dame. Cam Edwards and Marvis Parrish combined for just 46 rushing yards on 17 attempts, a poor 2.7 yards per carry. The running backs also did not catch a pass, with Kenneth Williams dropping a wide-open pass in the end zone.
Wide Receivers: C
With the passing game struggling to get going, the receiving room was quiet. Only three wide receivers caught passes, and none caught more than two. Rodney Bullard Jr. still had the Spartans’ play of the game, catching a 53-yard pass from Milivojevic. It was the Spartans’ longest play all season, putting the ball on the Notre Dame 15 and setting up Michigan State’s only touchdown.
Tight Ends: C
Jayden Savoury remained a safe target for Milivojevic. He had his third straight game with three or more receptions, getting 30 or more receiving yards every game this season. However, the rest of the tight end group was quiet, with only Kai Rios adding a reception for nine yards.
Offensive Line: C-
The offensive line protected Milivojevic for most of the game but started to tire and collapsed near the end. They gave up four sacks, with three of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Defensive Line: D
The Spartans struggled to stop the Fighting Irish run game. Notre Dame running backs Nolan James Jr. and Aneyas Williams combined for 146 rushing yards on 35 carries. All three Notre Dame touchdowns came on the ground, and the MSU defensive line sacked CJ Carr just once.
Linebackers: B-
Jordan Hall was the Spartans’ most impactful defender by a wide margin. He had 13 total tackles, eight more than any other MSU defender. It was the second-highest tackle total of his career, two short of his career-high 15; the rest of the Spartan linebackers combined for 14 total tackles.
Defensive Backs: D
CJ Carr was comfortable against the MSU secondary. Carr completed 18 of 24 passes, a 75% completion rate. While he did not throw a touchdown, he also did not have to worry about any turnovers. The Spartan defensive backs did not have an answer for Micah Gilbert, who had a career-high 170 receiving yards.
Special Teams: B-
Liam Boyd was perfect on the day, making his only field goal attempt, but the rest of the unit did not hold up. After Pat Fitzgerald talked about wanting the special teams to be more physical, Notre Dame blocked the Spartans’ first punt of the game. That set up a Fighting Irish touchdown, and they only had to drive 41 yards.
Coaching: C+
Pat Fitzgerald and his coaching staff put together a competitive first half, down 17-10 going into halftime. The Spartans scored all their points in the second quarter, and the defense forced a three-and-out. However, the Spartans were not ready for the second half and could not score a single point. Despite the loss to Notre Dame, it was still a strong showing in Fitzgerald’s first road trip with the Spartans.
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