Faint chants of “Go Green! Go White!” echoed through sections of Notre Dame Stadium as Michigan State football ran to the locker room at halftime.
Fans who made the trip to South Bend, Indiana, had a reason to cheer. Their team trailed the No. 3 team in the country by just 17-10, a level of competitiveness that has eluded the Spartans since 2021.
But there's no award for trailing Notre Dame by seven at the break. Only the winner receives the Megaphone Trophy, which will stay with the Fighting Irish after their 27-10 win.
“Yeah I’m pissed,” MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “We came down here to win a game, and we didn’t execute cleanly. So I’m really pissed off right now.”
Regardless, trailing a top-5 team by just a touchdown is a huge step forward for a Spartan program that hasn't been competitive against ranked opponents in years.
The Spartans haven't beaten a top-10 opponent since 2021, when Kenneth Walker Jr. scored five touchdowns against No. 6 Michigan. MSU hasn't beaten a ranked opponent since 2022, though its win against No. 16 Illinois has since been vacated. The only other times the Spartans have been within one possession of a ranked opponent at halftime since 2022 were a 13-7 deficit against No. 4 Michigan that year and a 10-7 deficit against No. 25 Michigan last season.
Entering tonight, the Spartans had been outscored 528-167 by ranked opponents over 15 games, and after the opening play, it seemed a similar story was to be written.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr fired a 61-yard pass to wide receiver Micah Gilbert on his first play of the game. Instead of collapsing, the Spartan defense stood tall, stopping the Fighting Irish in the red zone and holding them to a field goal.
The defense's response improved, but MSU still looked outmatched on its first offensive drive. It finished with a three-and-out and a blocked punt that barely traveled 14 yards.
The Spartans looked outclassed as Notre Dame built a 10-0 lead after the first quarter, but over the rest of the half, they chipped away and kept the game from getting away.
