SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Michigan State’s first big test of the season against No. 3 Notre Dame went a little better than expected. Even so, it still ended in a loss. For three quarters, Michigan State hung around with Notre Dame but ran out of gas, 27-10, after its comeback bid stalled in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. Notre Dame scored 10 unanswered points in the second half ...

Michigan State's Cam Edwards is tackled by Notre Dame's Luke Talich during the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in South Bend, Indiana.

Justin Casterline/Getty Images North America/TNS

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Michigan State’s first big test of the season against No. 3 Notre Dame went a little better than expected. Even so, it still ended in a loss.

For three quarters, Michigan State hung around with Notre Dame but ran out of gas, 27-10, after its comeback bid stalled in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. Notre Dame scored 10 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from a one-score game in front of 77,622 rain-soaked fans.

Saturday night’s loss is the first of Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure at Michigan State (2-1), and the first of his career to happen in South Bend, both as a player or a coach. The Spartans return home to take on Nebraska next week for a 5 p.m. ET kick on Big Ten Network.

In the cathedral of college football, Michigan State needed more than prayers as Notre Dame took a nearly 30-point underdog to church. The Spartans punched above their weight and hung around late against a team bigger, stronger and higher ranked than itself. Yet the result was hardly in doubt. Notre Dame never trailed and allowed just 167 yards by the Spartans’ offense. It took away eight negative yards in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw for 123 yards on 9 for 17 accuracy, with two of those pass attempts intercepted. The Spartans’ only touchdown came on a 15-yard scamper by backup Cam Fancher. More often than not, Michigan State’s quarterbacks found themselves running from pressure by Notre Dame’s vaunted defense. Four sacks allowed kept the Spartans off script, three of them in the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, from Saline, was 18-for-24 passing and finished with 234 yards and no passing touchdowns. On eight catches, 170 of those yards went to Micah Gilbert, including a 61-yard bomb to open the game and a 39-yard connection to set up Carr's own rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Where Michigan State really needed a response was its run game. In rainy conditions that drew out ponchos from the crowd and run calls from the coordinators, Michigan State ran 27 times for 44 yards. The offensive line lacked push against a sizable Notre Dame front, who handled most looks save for a few quick cuts from feature back Cam Edwards (12 carries, 38 yards).

After sitting out last week’s game against Eastern Michigan to heal a right arm injury, linebacker Jordan Hall made 13 tackles in his return in a strong performance. But Michigan State’s defensive front got pushed around in the run game, and Notre Dame picked on cornerbacks Tyran Chappell and Tre Bell against a pair of strong receivers in Jordan Faison and Gilbert.

Michigan State came out of a rain-soaked halftime trailing 17-10 with a chance to draw even. But six plays and 17 yards later, Notre Dame (3-0) took the ball back and took control. Nine carries from Nolan James Jr. yielded 46 yards on a 17-play, 77-yard drive for the Irish. A 35-yard field goal put Notre Dame up 20-10 while taking nearly 10 precious minutes off the clock for Michigan State to rally.

Two straight sacks to open the fourth quarter, however, spoiled Michigan State’s hopes, and Gilbert hauled in a 39-yard catch that set up Carr’s 3-yard keeper. A one-score game for the Spartans now looked out of reach, 27-10, with 10:57 to muster a response. Milivojevic threw a pick the next time he touched the ball to put the game out of reach.

The hits came early against Michigan State. In fact, right out of the gate. Notre Dame’s first play from scrimmage ended up a 61-yard throw over the top to Gilbert. Three straight tackles from Hall — rested last week for the purpose of playing at 100% this game — kept the damage to a 25-yard field goal. But after a pair of fourth-down conversions on its next drive, Notre Dame found the end zone on a 2-yard run from James, who had 121 of his team’s 161 rushing yards. After 10 minutes of play, Michigan State trailed 10-0.

Michigan State’s offense tried to catch up before the rain came. Milivojevic uncorked a deep shot down the left side for Rodney Bullard Jr., but safety Luke Tulich came across and picked him off for the first time this season. The Spartans’ defense stopped the next drive — even after some second-try punt team trickery — then rattled off a 12-play, 36-yarder of their own.

To do so, MSU offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan reached deep into his bag of tricks. He lined up both Milivojevic and Fancher at QB, then split them out wide. He paired them with three tight ends, even a “rhino” sixth lineman, and motioned receivers through the backfield. Backup running back Marvis Parrish could’ve had a touchdown on a toss play. The drive should have ended in a 14-yard touchdown to Kenneth Williams, but he bobbled the catch wide open in the end zone. Instead, the drive ended in a 32-yard field goal.

Close calls continued to elude the Spartans. On second-and-3 near midfield, edge rusher Kenny Soares Jr. came in with speed and hauled down Carr — except, Carr never went down, and Soares’ quick celebration came ill-timed.

Notre Dame found the end zone yet again — or did it — as running back Aneyas Williams stretched to break the plane. Some camera angles looked like he reached short of the sticks, and he fumbled, before taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that caused Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman to come unglued. Review angles couldn’t overturn the score and Notre Dame went up 17-3.

Michigan State, after close calls and injuries and gaffes and reviews, needed to find some swagger. It got it when Milivojevic hooked up with Bullard for a 53-yard bomb that survived a Notre Dame challenge. The next snap, Fancher took it 15 yards to the end zone to make it 17-10 at the half.

____