Notre Dame players were celebrating in the corner of Spartan Stadium, singing with their band and their fans. Most of MSU's team had left the field, but a few players stayed at midfield. All they could do was watch the celebration.
It was supposed to be the other way around.
MSU was supposed to be celebrating with 80,000 fans while Notre Dame stood in shock. The Spartans had a 37-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter and seemed to be in control of the game.
But MSU (3-1) blew a 16-point lead in the last 8:18 of the game to lose 40-37 to No. 12 Notre Dame (3-1).
"We made too many mistakes when it counted, and I take credit for that as a coach," said MSU head coach John L. Smith. "(The team) played with heart, played with emotion and everything that you ask, but we just have to make better calls and make better plays."
MSU got the ball with 2:43 left and had a chance to drive for a potential game-tying field goal. But Notre Dame's Terrail Lambert intercepted senior quarterback Drew Stanton's throw with 14 seconds left in the game to seal the Irish victory.
Lambert also intercepted Stanton's pass on the previous drive and returned it for a touchdown to give Notre Dame the lead.
"We just made way too many mistakes to beat a good football team when it came down to it at the end," Smith said.
Early on, it seemed the Spartans were headed for a win on national television in front of the third-largest crowd in Spartan Stadium history.
Junior running back Jehuu Caulcrick set the tone early by running over Notre Dame's standout safety Tom Zbikowski on MSU's first offensive play. The offense put points on the board on three of its first four drives — highlighted by senior wide receiver Matt Trannon's second touchdown pass of the year — to jump to a 17-0 lead.
MSU's defense applied consistent pressure on Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in the first half, forcing him to throw early and inaccurately. MSU junior defensive end Ervin Baldwin intercepted a pass in the second quarter and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown and a 24-7 MSU lead.
Caulcrick's 30-yard touchdown run with 5:50 left in the third quarter gave MSU a 37-21 lead. Those were the last points the Spartans scored.
MSU's offense went stagnant in the fourth quarter, gaining only 62 yards of total offense. Caulcrick had 99 yards on six carries through three quarters, but he got just two carries in the fourth quarter when MSU was trying to run the ball and milk the clock.
Notre Dame's comeback was led by Quinn, who threw for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter. Stanton, on the other hand, had three turnovers in the fourth quarter. Along with two interceptions, he lost a fumble in MSU territory, which led to a Notre Dame touchdown.
MSU's pass defense had several breakdowns in the second half that led to big plays. Notre Dame tight end John Carlson was wide open for a 62-yard touchdown pass and a 27-yard pass on a fourth-and-1 play.
"We just played sloppy — sloppy play — that's all it was," senior cornerback Demond Williams said. "The second half, we kind of slacked off a little bit, and you can't do that with a good team."
Most of Notre Dame's success in the passing game came when they were running a no-huddle offense.
"Once we got in our two-minute mode, we kind of found a rhythm and realized we could more or less move the ball on them," Quinn said.
On the other side of the ball, Stanton was under duress for much of the fourth quarter, rushing six times for negative 1 yard. When he wasn't sacked or tackled for a loss, he was hit after throwing the ball. Stanton completed just 10-of-22 for 114 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns — both to senior wide receiver Kerry Reed.
"They did a good job of mixing it up and coming with heat, and we couldn't block at all," Smith said.
MSU's next game is its Big Ten opener at noon on Saturday against Illinois at Spartan Stadium.
"We'll find out what we're made of. We'll find out if we have some character on this football team," Smith said about regrouping for the next game.
