In the third edition of The State News sports podcast, sports editor Chris Vannini and football reporters Jeremy Warnemuende and Jeff Kanan discuss the MSU football team’s game this weekend against Notre Dame. Game time is set for 8 p.m. on ABC. The guys talk about the history of the rivalry and where MSU can improve this weekend.
When thinking about last year’s MSU-Notre Dame matchup, the key play of game was the late interception thrown by then-sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins, which resulted in the Irish running out the clock on their final drive.
But before the Cousins interception, the Spartans had their own chance to seal the game when then-junior cornerback Chris L. Rucker dropped what should have been an interception by Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
The Fighting Irish went on to score later in that drive, taking a 33-30 lead MSU was never able to overcome.
The Spartans will get their chance for revenge when they take on Notre Dame (8 p.m. ABC) on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. If presented with an opportunity like the one he had last season against the Fighting Irish, Rucker said he won’t let it slip through his fingers this time.
“I made that mistake last year,” Rucker said. “This year, every chance I get to get my hands on the ball, I’m going to try to come up and make a play.”
One year later, Rucker said he often has thought about the play since it happened. But as he prepares for this season’s matchup with Notre Dame, he said he won’t dwell on the past.
“You always think about mistakes you make,” Rucker said. “But being a (defensive back), you always have to have short-term memory and you just have to keep playing.”
Rucker wasn’t the only member of the MSU secondary to face struggles in South Bend last season.
In a game that was a prime example of the Spartans’ porous pass defense in 2009, Clausen and the Fighting Irish accounted for 304 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Clausen has moved on to the NFL, but that doesn’t mean things will get any easier for the MSU defensive backs.
Current Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist is in his first year as the starter, but as a junior, he will bring experience into Spartan Stadium on Saturday. Although the Fighting Irish also lost star receiver Golden Tate to the NFL, they still have dangerous 6-foot-3 wideout Michael Floyd.
“We have to play well in the back end, there is no doubt about that,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “Obviously our defensive backs have to play well, it’s a passing game.”
Junior safety Trenton Robinson said he and the other MSU defensive backs know exactly what to expect from Notre Dame. With new head coach Brian Kelly installing his spread offense this season, the Fighting Irish are going to attack down the field, and Robinson said he can’t wait.
“It’s not like they’re going to come out and do something different,” Robinson said. “It’s Notre Dame, they’re going to come out and throw the ball, and we’re going to have to defend it all game so we’re excited for that.”
With a chance for redemption on the horizon, Rucker acknowledged stopping Notre Dame’s aerial attack will not be an easy task. But as far as he and his secondary mates are concerned, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We look at it as a challenging game,” Rucker said. “But it’s a challenge that we welcome. We want to show the world, the country, that we’ve improved since last year on our pass defense and we want to show how far we’ve come.”
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