Gilbert's big night, defense carry Notre Dame past Michigan State 27-10
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – It was a rainy night and not always pretty, but No. 3 Notre Dame found a way.
Micah Gilbert caught eight passes for 170 yards and Nolan James Jr. ran for a career-high 121 yards. The Irish defense held Michigan State to 40 yards in the second half, and Notre Dame beat the Spartans 27-10 on Saturday night to keep the Megaphone Trophy.
The win was Notre Dame's 13th straight, all by at least 10 points. That broke the school record of 12 straight double-digit wins set under Knute Rockne in 1921-22.
"It wasn't perfect, as everybody saw, but it was a good victory," Freeman said.
Gilbert made his presence felt on the very first snap, catching a 61-yard pass from Carr. The run game stalled from there, and the Irish settled for a Spencer Porath field goal. Michigan State went three-and-out with a sack of quarterback Alessio Milivojevic. Notre Dame then went 75 yards in 10 plays, helped by a fourth-down catch from Gilbert, and James scored from 2 yards out for a 10-0 lead.
The Irish also tried a trick play that didn't work. After a holding penalty wiped out a punt, special teams coordinator Marty Biagi called a reverse on the redo, and freshman receiver Brayden Robinson came up a yard short. Freeman said afterward that he liked the call but didn't like how it was executed.
Aneyas Williams' touchdown run pushed the lead to 17-3, but Williams was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct while celebrating. Michigan State then needed only three plays to go 68 yards for a touchdown, and the Spartans trailed only 17-10 at halftime. Freeman said after the game that his team has to be smarter, and that celebrations belong on the sideline.
The second half belonged to Notre Dame. Adon Shuler intercepted a pass on Michigan State's first play of the third quarter. James broke a 17-yard run, then the longest by an Irish back this season, and Porath added another field goal.
Early in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame sacked Milivojevic on back-to-back plays. The second sack knocked the ball loose, though Michigan State recovered. The Irish then put the game away on a long, clock-draining drive that started at their own 6. Gilbert had catches of 28 and 39 yards, and Carr finished it with a 3-yard touchdown run for a 27-10 lead with about 11 minutes left.
James was slow to get going, with only 23 yards on nine carries in the first half. He got stronger as the game went on, and he gained his final 52 yards on eight straight carries to run out the clock. He finished with 121 yards on 26 carries.
Gilbert came into the night with 14 career catches. His 170 yards were the most by an Irish receiver in years and the best receiving game of Freeman's tenure. Freeman called it a team effort, crediting Carr's throws and the protection up front.
Freeman added that if the Irish keep protecting the ball and winning the turnover battle, "we have a chance to be really good."
Notre Dame didn't turn it over and had the ball for 37:02. Michigan State finished with 167 total yards and only 44 on the ground, none after halftime. Milivojevic completed 9 of 17 passes for 123 yards with two interceptions, one each by Shuler and Luke Talich.
Spartans coach Pat Fitzgerald said Notre Dame's fast start hurt his team's chances. "They have a darn good football team," he said.
Key Stats:
Carr: 18 of 24, 234 yards; 1 rushing TD
Gilbert: 8 catches, 170 yards, long of 61
James: 26 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD
Faison: 5 catches, 38 yards
Total yards: Notre Dame 395, Michigan State 167
Rushing yards: Notre Dame 161, Michigan State 44
Turnovers: Notre Dame 0, Michigan State 2
Time of possession: Notre Dame 37:02
