Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 19, 2026 35 GAME PREVIEW: MICHIGAN STATE Michigan State wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. said. "I told him that he was saving us. We had a lot of times where we couldn't capitalize when we should have, and he had our back." VETERANS TO RELY ON Describing the coaching staff and roster turnover at Michigan State in the last three years as significant might not be strong enough. Since the begin- ning of the 2023 season, the Spartans have been led by three head coaches (Mel Tucker in 2023, Jonathan Smith in 2024-25 and Fitzgerald now) and one interim coach (Harlon Barnett in 2023). Senior linebacker Jordan Hall, a two- time captain, experienced every one of those changes since joining the team in 2023. In his first game playing for Fitzgerald, Hall tallied 4 tackles, includ- ing 1 for loss. "I just want to be the best teammate I can be, the best linebacker I can be, the best leader I can be," Hall said. "I think if I try to excel at all three of those things, I think at the end of the year I'll gauge my success on how well I did in those three areas, and everything else will follow." Five other players joined Hall as cap- tains for this year's team: quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, rush end Kenny Soares Jr., safety Nikai Martinez, cen- ter Trent Fraley and punter Rhys Da- kin. Milivojevic returned as Michigan State's starting quarterback after taking over the role in the final four games of last season. Milivojevic completed 26 of 34 passes (76.5 percent) for 247 yards with 1 touchdown against Toledo, while playing for offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan for the first time. "I wouldn't say I was surprised by anything, but I thought he had good poise," Sheridan said of Milivojevic. "He had good composure. He was commu- nicating well on the sideline. He knew what happened or what didn't happen. So, all positives in that way. But there's still things that he's got to do better, that we got to do better. And we're working towards that." LESSONS IN ACTION A 10-point victory over a Mid- American Conference opponent often doesn't bring much of a celebration for a Big Ten program. But Michigan State doesn't have to look beyond its border to remember that every game, no mat- ter the opponent, shouldn't be taken for granted. Michigan nearly suffered a home loss to Western Michigan in its season opener if not for some clock she- nanigans and a successful Hail Mary. The Spartans scored the first 13 points against Toledo but eventually fell be- hind, 20-19, early in the fourth quarter. That tested the resolve of this Michigan State team, and it responded with 11 un- answered points to close out the game. "Momentum shifted and they were able to get to a lead," Fitzgerald said. "But really proud of the way our guys responded. "I talked to them early in this process about learning the difference between reacting and responding. Reacting has an emotional way about it. And a re- sponse has an action plan that allows you to have success. And I thought we responded really boldly." During his time away from college football, Fitzgerald settled the law- suit he filed against Northwestern for wrongful termination, which resulted Facts & Figures MICHIGAN STATE AT NOTRE DAME Date: Sept. 19, 2026 Site: Notre Dame Stadium (77,622) Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series Facts: Notre Dame leads 49-29-1. Head coaches: Michigan State — Pat Fitzger- ald (2-0, 1st season at MSU and 112-101, 18th season overall); Notre Dame — Marcus Free- man (45-12, 5th season at ND and overall). Noting Michigan State: Running back Cam Edwards ranked fourth among active FBS play- ers in career rushing yards after Week 1 with 2,788 … Michigan State welcomed 62 new- comers to its roster in the offseason: 32 trans- fers and 30 freshmen … The Spartans scored 30 points in its season opener for the first time since 2023 … Fitzgerald retained four assistant coaches from the coaching staff that was in place before he was hired: defensive coordi- nator Joe Rossi, safeties coach James Adams, wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins and tight ends coach Brian Wozniak. Senior linebacker Jordan Hall, a two-time captain, tallied 4 tackles (1 for a loss) in Michigan State's season-opening victory over Toledo. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS