Michigan State runs out to 36-7 lead on the way to win over Notre Dame

Nick Bromberg
R.J. Shelton scored vs. Notre Dame (Getty Images).
R.J. Shelton had eight catches for 80 yards vs. Notre Dame. (Getty Images)

The recipe for Michigan State’s 36-28 win over Notre Dame was pretty familiar.

A strong run game? Check. The Spartans ran for 260 yards and averaged five yards a carry. Stopping the opponent’s running game? Another yes. Notre Dame ran for 57 yards on 25 carries. Forcing turnovers? Yes to that as well. Notre Dame lost two fumbles and threw an interception.

It wasn’t exactly a relaxing fourth quarter for Michigan State fans, however. Notre Dame scored 14 points in the quarter to pull within eight points. But a curious decision at best by Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly ended any chance of a Notre Dame victory.

Facing fourth-and-7 at its own 32 with less than four minutes left, Notre Dame called its first timeout. To prepare for a fourth-down offensive play? Nope. To punt the football. The Irish kicked the ball to Michigan State and never got it back as the Spartans drained the rest of the clock.

Maybe Kelly did it because he trusted his defense. And in the moment, that trust could have seemed real. Notre Dame had forced Michigan State into three straight punts.

But before that, Notre Dame’s defense was anything but reliable. And that unreliability showed on MSU’s final drive when QB Tyler O’Conner found a wide open Donnie Corley on third down for a 28-yard gain on third-and-7. The play had Kelly screaming in the direction of defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.

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Notre Dame has given up 96 points in its first three games of the season — and that’s counting a 39-10 win over Nevada in Week 2. Now at 1-2, Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes are pretty much toast and it has a lot to do with the team’s inability to stop opposing running games. Texas ran the ball 59 times in Week 1 for 237 yards.

Meanwhile, Michigan State thrived in the underdog role once again. Yeah, the blowout loss to Alabama still lingers, but coach Mark Dantonio’s teams are now 12-6 in the last 18 games as an underdog.

And MSU definitely won’t be an underdog in Week 4 when No. 9 Wisconsin visits. Michigan State will likely leapfrog the Badgers, who struggled in a win over Georgia State earlier in the day. As Ohio State and Michigan will continue to dominate the attention in the Big Ten East, expect Michigan State to hang right there with the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!