Irish Turn Up the Heat: Notre Dame Finishes Strong Against Michigan State

Photo via Notre Dame Athletics

Notre Dame’s matchup with Michigan State provided plenty to like, plenty to question and, ultimately, another opportunity for the Irish to continue developing into the team they want to be. From big-time plays on special teams to a dominant second-half defensive performance, Notre Dame showed flashes on both sides of the football. At the same time, the Irish continue to search for greater consistency, particularly in the running game and in avoiding occasional costly defensive breakdowns.

CJ Carr wasted little time making an impact, dropping a dime to Micah Gilbert to open the game and immediately putting the Irish passing attack on display. The running game, however, continued to struggle early. Notre Dame had opportunities to be more aggressive on fourth down, although taking the points when available was ultimately the right decision.

One of the early bright spots was transfer DJ McKinney, who once again has become an instant playmaker. McKinney has quickly demonstrated why adding him through the transfer portal was such an important move for the Irish.

Notre Dame’s special teams also came ready to make an impact. A blocked punt gave the Irish excellent field position and set up the offense for its second series of the game. While the offensive line continued to look strong in pass protection, Notre Dame still needs to find more consistency creating running lanes.

That changed when Nolan James Jr. entered the game.

The Irish suddenly looked like a different team running the football, and James eventually found the end zone for a rushing touchdown. Considering the struggles Notre Dame had experienced on the ground, seeing the running game finally produce a touchdown was a welcome sight.

Then came another big defensive moment from Luke Talich.

Talich continued his reputation as a ball hawk by coming up with a beautiful interception, adding another big play to what has been an impressive stretch for the Notre Dame safety.

There were also some questionable moments. Notre Dame’s fake punt call with the Irish 14 yards away from a first down was an aggressive decision that Michigan State clearly wasn’t expecting. However, the read wasn’t there. Brayden Robinson appeared to have room if he took the ball outside, but instead cut inside and failed to pick up the necessary yardage.

The Irish defense also received a major break when Michigan State dropped a potential touchdown. Notre Dame had another coverage breakdown that left a receiver wide open, making it the second time in the game the Spartans had a receiver seemingly uncovered deep downfield.

The defensive line, meanwhile, continued to create pressure inside. Notre Dame’s interior defensive front did an excellent job getting to the quarterback, while Talich made another critical play by helping prevent a potential touchdown and forcing Michigan State to settle for three points.

Carr then delivered one of the most impressive plays of his young career.

With Michigan State seemingly having him dead to rights for a sack, Carr refused to give up on the play. He spun away from the pressure, kept the play alive, and eventually turned what looked like a disastrous situation into a positive play. The physical ability was impressive, but the poise and determination stood out even more.

The defense, however, had another rough stretch afterward. Michigan State connected on a deep pass followed by poor tackling by the Notre Dame defense, which resulted in a touchdown run for the Spartans. Those are the kinds of mistakes Notre Dame will have to eliminate if it wants to become a consistently dominant defense.

Aneyas Williams eventually found the end zone as well, but his celebration with teammates resulted in a 15-yard penalty. Head coach Marcus Freeman was visibly unhappy with the sequence on the sideline, ripping Williams coming off the field, and it continued on the sideline. Hot take here: I had no problem with the celebration at all, other than they took way too much time in doing it, so it was rightly called a penalty. Freeman did the right thing by ripping Aeynas, but the majority of the offense was involved, and they all should be talked to, which I'm sure Freeman addressed. As visibly upset as Freeman was, I would be willing to bet you won't ever see that happen again.

Second Half Belonged to the Irish Defense

Whatever adjustments Notre Dame made at halftime, they worked.

The Irish defense came out of the locker room with a completely different level of intensity, immediately stopping Michigan State on its opening possession of the second half.

Carr continued to show his poise as well. At one point, standing calmly in his own end zone, he waited in the pocket and delivered an absolute strike to Michael Gilbert near the sideline for a huge first-down conversion.

Gilbert answered a question Notre Dame fans had been asking for the past couple of weeks: Who is going to emerge at wide receiver alongside Jordan Faison? Last night, Gilbert provided that answer. He consistently made plays throughout the game, including an outstanding deep-ball reception where he laid out and secured the football. His performance gave the Irish passing attack another legitimate weapon and could prove to be an important development moving forward.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s defense continued to take control of the game.

Boubacar Traore was once again a disruptive force up front, and his pressure helped create an interception for Adon Shuler in the fourth quarter. The turnover gave Notre Dame’s offense another opportunity to extend its advantage, although the drive ultimately stalled when Porath missed a 39-yard field goal.

Final Takeaways

There is still plenty for Notre Dame to clean up. The running game needs more consistency, the defense cannot continue allowing receivers to run free, and tackling has to improve. But there were also several developments that should excite Irish fans.

Boubacar Traore continues to look like a disruptive force, particularly with an elite spin move that allows him to consistently create pressure.

CJ Carr’s poise and pocket presence continue to stand out. His ability to remain calm under pressure and extend plays is becoming one of the defining traits of his game.

Luke Talich continues to make plays whenever the opportunity presents itself. His instincts and ability to find the football have been impressive, and his production at safety has become impossible to overlook.

Rodney Dunham also continues to show why Notre Dame believes he can become a major contributor at this level. There is a lot to like about his development and upside.

And then there is Nolan James Jr.

If James hadn’t already done enough to make his case, his performance against Michigan State certainly strengthened it. The Notre Dame running game looked noticeably different with him on the field, and his ability to create positive plays provided the Irish with something they had been missing.

The overall message has become increasingly clear: Notre Dame has to find a way to play more consistently on both sides of the football, particularly the offensive line and the running game. If they truly want to be a national title contender, they have to figure out this running game/OLine problem sooner rather than later. The good news is they have several upcoming games that will serve as great opportunities to achieve that goal.

Onward to Purdue...