Notre Dame Dominates Second Half to Beat Michigan State

No. 3 Notre Dame stayed perfect Saturday night.

The Fighting Irish defeated Michigan State 27-10 at Notre Dame Stadium, improving to 3-0 on the season while handing the Spartans their first loss of the year.

The Irish wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.

CJ Carr connected on a 61-yard pass on Notre Dame's first offensive play, immediately putting the Michigan State defense under pressure. The Spartans managed to keep the Irish out of the end zone on that drive, but Notre Dame settled for a field goal.

Notre Dame eventually found the end zone when Nolan James Jr. scored on a two-yard touchdown run, giving the Irish a 10-0 advantage.

Michigan State refused to let the game get away.

The Spartans' offense began finding some rhythm, and quarterback Alessio Milivojevic delivered several impressive throws. Cam Fancher eventually broke through with a 15-yard touchdown run, cutting Notre Dame's lead to 17-10 before halftime.

Michigan State's defense also came up with some important plays, including an interception and a fourth-down stop on a Notre Dame fake punt.

Notre Dame regained control in the second half.

Spencer Porath added a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter before Carr put the game away with a three-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth. The Irish defense then kept Michigan State from mounting another comeback.

Notre Dame finished with 395 total yards, including 234 through the air and 161 on the ground. Michigan State managed just 167 total yards and turned the ball over twice.

The victory keeps Notre Dame undefeated heading into the rest of its schedule.

Michigan State falls to 2-1 after opening the season with wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan. Despite the loss, the Spartans showed plenty of fight against one of the nation's top-ranked teams.

For Notre Dame, however, the message was clear.

The Fighting Irish are 3-0, and their defense and physicality continue to make them a major force early in the season.