MSU football players plant the Spartan flag on the 50-yard line of Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., following their 44-41 victory in overtime over the Irish on Sept. 17, 2005.
There’s little doubt MSU’s rivalry with Notre Dame has become one of the most interesting in college football.
MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who speaks proudly and constantly about his football program’s tradition, can’t help but think about how great an opportunity it is to be involved in an MSU/Notre Dame game.
“This is the sixth time I’ve been involved in this game and every time I’ve been involved with it, it gets a little more exciting,” Dantonio said. “I think it points to all the people who have played in it and I really do believe when you look at the past at Michigan State, it links everybody together.”
The rivalry between the two storied programs dates back to 1897, and while the Fighting Irish hold the series lead 44-26-1, the Spartans have closed the gap in recent years, winning eight of the past 11.
Heading into Saturday’s matchup, The State News decided to take a look back at the rivalry’s lofty highs and undeniable lows.
The game: No. 10 Notre Dame came fighting back, rattling off 21 consecutive points to send the game into overtime.
After an Irish field goal got overtime started, MSU running back Jason Teague scored on a 19-yard option pitch from Drew Stanton to give the Spartans the win and hand Charlie Weis his first loss as Notre Dame coach.
Rivalry impact: After the Fighting Irish “forgot” the Megaphone Trophy, which is given each year to the winner of the game, a group of MSU players planted an MSU flag on Notre Dame Stadium’s 50-yard line.
Looking back: “A lot of that childish stuff that went on in the past — especially us with the whole planting the flag in the middle of the field — that was definitely childish on our part.
(It was) just unclassy and that’s something a lot of people involved in it didn’t need to do.” — Senior running back Javon Ringer
Domino Effect: The game gave the Spartans confidence, as they put up 61 points against Illinois the next week to move to 4-0 and surge to 11th in the national rankings. However, that confidence was quickly shattered as the Spartans dropped six of their next seven to finish 5-6 on the season.
The game: Do you really need a reminder? After MSU jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter of a nationally televised night game, the Fighting Irish came back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Amid wind and rain, the Irish scored 19 fourth-quarter points and Notre Dame cornerback Terrail Lambert intercepted a Stanton pass with 2:53 remaining to cap an improbable come-from-behind win.
Rivalry impact: A few of the Spartans stood on the field waiting for Notre Dame players to plant a flag, but the Irish were too overjoyed with the win to worry about retaliation.
Looking back: “It was some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows, but things happen for a reason. That loss hurt us, but I don’t think one game can turn a season.” — Senior defensive end Justin Kershaw
Domino Effect: After the loss, the Spartans went on a downward spiral, losing seven of their last eight games to finish 4-8.
Then-MSU head coach John L. Smith was fired after the season.
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The game: With MSU clinging to a slim 17-14 halftime lead, senior quarterback Brian Hoyer came out of the locker room and threw two touchdowns in the third quarter to give the Spartans their sixth straight win in South Bend, Ind.
Rivalry impact: The sixth straight win marked the longest winning streak for any visiting team at Notre Dame Stadium. No flags were planted and no trophies were forgotten.
Looking back: “When we were able to go over there (and win) I felt real good for our players. I felt like the monkey was off everybody’s back a little bit and that we were able to go over and play well. I was real happy for our players.” — Dantonio
Domino Effect: The 4-0 Spartans went 3-5 in Big Ten play, winning their last two regular season games to earn the program’s first bowl bid in four years. The loss dropped Notre Dame to 0-4 as the Fighting Irish finished the season 3-9 — their worst record since 1963.
The game: The Spartans enter the game sitting at 2-1 with one of the premier rushing attacks in the nation, while Notre Dame is fresh off a convincing win over mutual rival Michigan.
State of the rivalry: “You never know if a team is going to retaliate, but they were very classy (in 2007) and didn’t do that, so my respect goes to them. I’m glad it’s back to a more mutual respect now and we can just go out and play good, hard football.” — Ringer
Looking forward: With a win, the Spartans would move to 3-1 heading into Big Ten action with a legitimate shot at being 6-1 before facing Ohio State, U-M and Wisconsin during a three-game stretch.
A win for Notre Dame would improve its record to 3-0 and give it more confidence.
