South Bend, Ind. - It was a rollercoaster day for John L. Smith.
As he headed off the field after his team's 44-41 overtime victory against No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday, the Spartans' third-year coach stopped under the goal post and happily embraced offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin before heading into the tunnel.
It was an emotional ending to an up-and-down game that saw MSU squander a 21-point second-half lead only to have its defense stand strong in overtime, holding the Fighting Irish to a field goal before senior running back Jason Teague high-stepped his way into the end zone on the Spartans' second play of the extra session. The touchdown sent the Notre Dame crowd home in disbelief and the MSU sideline into a sprint toward the end zone.
"Oh, what a game, huh?" Smith exclaimed. "It was worth the price of admission, I'd say."
After going three-and-out on its first possession, MSU (3-0) quickly struck after forcing Notre Dame to punt.
Stanton connected on passes of 23 yards to junior wide receiver Jerramy Scott, 28 yards to senior wide receiver Kyle Brown and then hit senior wide receiver Matt Trannon in the back of the end zone with a 20-yard strike to put the Spartans ahead, 7-0.
After the Irish (2-1) tied the game on wide receiver Jeff Samardzija's first of three touchdowns on the day, the Spartans quickly struck back with a score of their own, as they drove 67 yards in seven plays, capped by Stanton's touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Kellen Davis. It was his first career touchdown reception.
Stanton sent MSU into halftime with a 24-17 lead after a 3-yard touchdown plunge with 27 seconds left in the second quarter.
Sir Darean Adams gave MSU a huge boost early in the third quarter when he picked off Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn's pass. The sophomore bandit then took it back 30 yards for the score, putting MSU up by two touchdowns, 31-17.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Adams said. "Coach Smeland called the defense, I did my job, I hopped on the ball, I tipped it, I saw the ball, I caught it with my right hand then did what I do best - run."
The defense once again stood firm with Notre Dame on the goal line.
Quinn handed the ball off to fullback Asaph Schwapp, who was stripped at the top of the pile by MSU senior defensive tackle Domata Peko and the fumble was recovered by MSU junior linebacker David Herron, Jr. at MSU's 7-yard line.
"The fullback tried to reach out and he shouldn't have done that," Peko said. "He left the ball exposed and I swatted it out."
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis said that the play should've been blown dead due to forward progress being stopped.
"The guy was stopped for a good five seconds," he said.
Stanton's receivers continually made play after play on the day.
"They're stepping up and making a tremendous amount of plays for us," Stanton said. "They're keeping the ball moving."
Holding a 38-17 lead and 5:07 to play in the third quarter, MSU went into a shell and almost didn't make it out.
MSU was unable to muster any offense on its next drive and Notre Dame promptly took it back down the field and cut its deficit to 38-31 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Quinn to wide receiver Maurice Stovall.
"When we get up, we have to be able to run the football to win," Smith said. "That's always been our philosophy. When you get up on some people, you have to be able to hold onto and get some first downs, but we didn't do that."
Notre Dame took advantage of a golden opportunity when Quinn found Samardzija wide open in the back of the end zone for the score, capping the big comeback. The touchdown was Quinn's school record fifth of the day.
Each team held the other through regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
MSU won the toss and chose to defend, putting Notre Dame at the 25-yard line with the ball.
The Irish were unable to capitalize, as MSU junior cornerback Demond Williams broke up a potential touchdown pass to Stovall, who caught eight passes for 176 yards, forcing Notre Dame to kick a 44-yard field goal.
Then, after an 11-yard scramble by Stanton and a false start penalty, Stanton took the snap and rolled out to the right where he pitched the ball to Teague, who broke a leg tackle and went 19 yards to the end zone, where he was mobbed by his teammates as MSU pulled out the 44-41 win, its fifth straight at Notre Dame Stadium.
"I am extremely proud of the way my team played this afternoon," Smith said. "I am proud of our coaching staff and everyone involved in this win.
"We responded every time the Irish came back and we never gave up on ourselves."
Matt Bishop can be reached at bishop20@msu.edu.
