“They’re going to throw the ball up to him,” senior safety Trenton Robinson said. “And he goes up and makes a play on the ball. That will be one of our biggest tests. A lot of receivers don’t go up like him.”

With Floyd’s team sitting at 0-2 and the Fighting Irish’s season on the brink of collapsing, he likely is hungry to get his shot at a secondary he has made his name against.

In his three career games against the Spartans, Floyd has tallied 15 receptions for 205 yards and four scores. One of those games — in 2009 — he suffered a broken collarbone in the first half.

Now, it likely will fall on the shoulders of junior cornerback Johnny Adams to contain an angry and desperate Floyd.

Adams didn’t seem nervous, however. He said he loves the opportunity to show his stuff against a receiver such as Floyd.

“It’s my competitive nature,” Adams said. “I’ve been competitive my whole life. I take this as a big challenge for me, this is what we play football for. To go against the best.”

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio made it a point in his press conference Tuesday to say Floyd isn’t the only offensive threat the Spartans defense must harness.

Dantonio was quick to mention junior wide receiver Theo Riddick, whose profile on the Notre Dame web site calls him “one of the quickest and most exciting players on the roster.”

The Spartan head coach would not disagree.

“If you overload one side, they’re going to hurt you with the other side, you got to be able to play them both.” Dantonio said.

“(They have) weapons. Over a thousand yards of offense in two games.”

In seasons past, it has been the MSU’s defensive backs unit under the most scrutiny. However, after a solid 2010 campaign and a good start 2011 as well, the secondary has managed to silence most of the critics.

But the spotlight will rest on them this Saturday, and Robinson said his secondary certainly won’t miss out on a chance to prove themselves against the Fighting Irish.

“This is what we play for,” he said. “This why you come here, to play in games like this.”

Last time around
In 2009, senior quarterback Kirk Cousins left South Bend, Ind., with a sour taste in his mouth.

Trailing by three and under two minutes to play, Cousins just missed a wide-open then-freshman running back Larry Caper in the end zone. The very next play he threw an interception.

After practice Tuesday, Cousins called it one of the most glaring mistakes he has ever made.

However, he can’t wait to get back inside Notre Dame Stadium for a chance at redemption.

“I’m excited to get a chance to go back down there and hopefully end it the right way this time,” he said.

“Come and take them”
The Spartans’ Nike Pro Combat Uniforms, which will be worn Oct. 15 against Michigan, were unveiled Tuesday morning. The special edition uniforms have drawn mixed reviews from fans, but the players got their chance to comment on them Tuesday.

“I love them,” Robinson said. “They’re sweet. I just like something different. We get to put on that black and green, man, I can’t wait to put that on.”

Dantonio credited sophomore defensive end William Gholston with the idea of having Nike design the new uniforms. Gholston said it was as easy as asking his coach about it in a meeting.

Of all the uniforms Nike has released from the Pro Combat line in the past two years, Gholston said the best was the Spartans. He also had a favorite part of the uniform.

“I can’t wait to see my number two,” Gholston said. “Have it on with a little bronze, black face mask, bronze helmet, green Spartan head, green stripe. That’s going to be nasty.”