'War daddy' Jordan Hall sets gritty tone for MSU in return from injury

SOUTH BEND, IND. — Jordan Hall walked to an open chunk of the field yelling, slamming his left arm down on his right like as if he were carrying a shield. The same right arm covered by a clunky, hinged brace. The one that nearly went limp on him when he hurt it two drives into the season opener. It suited him just fine.

Hall, a week after sitting out a game against Eastern Michigan with his right arm injury, came into Notre Dame Stadium and played his heart out for Michigan State (2-1). Thirteen times, Hall got in on tackles as Michigan State's defense hung tough with No. 3 Notre Dame (3-0). Ultimately, the Spartans lost, 27-10, but not without continued fight from their mike linebacker and his compatriots.

"He's going to be a pro. He's a captain. He's a war daddy," Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "And I'm really, really, really proud of him. I mean, he is a hell of a player and a better person. So, we need him. He played great."

Hall knew by Wednesday, Sept. 16 there was a good chance he could get on the field Saturday, Sept. 19, and he didn't waste time making plays. After Notre Dame opened the game with a 61-yard bomb between quarterback CJ Carr and receiver Micah Gilbert, Hall rattled off three straight tackles to force a field goal.

If that play kept a few points off the board, it also put belief in his squad. The Spartans ' defense played with a swagger, keeping it a 17-10 game at halftime even after one of Alessio Milivojevic 's two interceptions threatened to spark a blowout.

"Everybody, from the beginning of the week, everybody had belief," Hall said. "I was just trying to play my part in getting the win today. Came up short."

Hall recorded nine solo tackles, and his 13 tackles more than doubled his next closest teammate. And as the Spartans weathered another injury to fellow linebacker Brady Pretzlaff before halftime, even Hall played through some discomfort as he tweaked his injury.

"It pops up here and there in some awkward positions that I'm in," Hall said, "but the braces helped me a lot. And yeah, it'll just be a progressive thing as we keep moving forward throughout the year."

Michigan State's defense had a tough night against a Notre Dame offense that jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. Carr threw for 234 yards and scampered in for a touchdown run. Gilbert had 170 of those yards on eight catches, and running back Nolan James Jr. ran for 121 yards on 26 carries.

But, Notre Dame had to wrestle — probably more than it expected as a nearly 30-point favorite — for the better part of four quarters. It wasn't a blowout, and in large part the reason was Hall and the Michigan State defense. He fit gaps hard against the run. He got into space for open-field tackles. And though his Spartans' pass rush generated one sack and one hurry, he and his fellow linebackers gave up just four catches for 18 yards to running backs and tight ends.

It took Notre Dame 17 plays to go 77 yards down the field for a field goal in the third quarter, a nearly 10-minute gauntlet that Hall played every snap. Even in the fourth, when Michigan State's own offense put up negative yardage, Hall and the defense allowed just a touchdown on three drives. He even took the time to hype up fellow captain Milivojevic, frustrated after a fourth-quarter interception on the first play of a drive.

"We just reminded him, you're a captain, you're a leader on this team," Hall said. "We're gonna get the ball back for you, so just calm down, be ready to go in a couple of minutes."

Hall may be hampered this season, but Michigan State's defense still looks better with him wearing pads and an arm brace than with him inactive on the sideline. After playing through last season injured and ailing, Hall has always shown a toughness to his game. But as a senior, he knows how important he is to this defense — and to Michigan State's larger aspirations.

"Everybody on the team believes in the guys that we have in the room," Hall said. "All the goals that we had on the table before the year are still on the table, and we're going to continue to try to achieve those goals."

Hall is going to try and make them happen, even if it hurts.