Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546555
36 SEPT. 19, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: MICHIGAN STATE in Northwestern releasing a statement that indicated the evidence did not es- tablish that any player reported haz- ing to Fitzgerald or that he condoned or directed it. Fitzgerald also spent the past three falls in a small role as a high school coach while learning how other college programs and NFL organizations have adapted over time. Now it's his turn to respond rather than react. "What it's given me is some great clarity," Fitzgerald said in his introduc- tory press conference in December. "This will always be about the players, and how we can focus and develop them is what it's all about. "As far as my motivation, you don't have to ask me about that. I've been dreaming about this day for a long time. … I'm just so grateful and I'm so thank- ful. Our family is. And there'll be no more motivated coach to get this pro- gram where it needs to be than I will be, compared to anywhere else in the country, I promise you that." ✦ Three Things To Know About Michigan State 1. Sometimes Indigestion Can Be A Powerful Thing On The Football Field And perhaps you could say this went one step further. Michigan State right offensive tackle Robert Wright Jr. is one of 62 newcomers on the Spartans' roster. And the transfer from Georgia Southern, perhaps involuntarily, uncorked a new strategy to subdue a would-be pass-rusher in a two-point conversion play during MSU's 30-20 victory over Toledo in the Spartans' season opener Sept. 4. Wright vomited on the Toledo defender during the successful two-point play in the fourth quarter, a pass from Alessio Milivojevic to Rodney Bullard Jr. That followed a 5-yard touchdown strike involving the same two players to put the Spartans ahead for good. First-year Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald announced Wright as his inaugural Spartan War- rior of the game, not just for his puking prowess but for playing well as an in-game injury replacement. "It was disgusting, because he had little remnants of it when he came up to the sideline, and I was just like, 'That's gonna start a barf-o-rama, you know,'" Fitzgerald told the Detroit News. "I asked him [later], 'Have you ever gone viral before?' He's like, 'Coach, I did that at Georgia Southern, and nobody noticed.' I go, 'Welcome to the Big Ten. Welcome to Michigan State.' You know, people are going to notice." 2. Say Hello — Again — To Wide Receiver KK Smith Speaking of transfers, former Irish reserve wide receiver KK Smith is now a Michigan State backup wide receiver after hitting the portal last January. Michigan State had some huge portal losses, including now-Indiana receiver Nick Marsh. The Spartans added 32 new bodies via transfer and 30 freshmen for a total of 62 newcomers. Smith was one of four wide receivers signed in the 2023 Notre Dame recruiting class, a late poach from Texas Tech and a three-star prospect rated as the nation's No. 527 player overall, per the Rivals Industry Ranking. Also in that class were Braylon James (now at TCU), Rico Flores Jr. (now at Virginia after a stint at UCLA) and Jaden Greathouse, the one player among the four who stayed put. The biggest star from that class was Jordan Faison, a football walk-on who came to Notre Dame as a scholarship lacrosse player. Smith had 1 catch for 10 yards in Michigan State's victory over Toledo Sept. 4. The Spartans hosted Eastern Michigan Sept. 12. 3. More Familiar Faces On Pat Fitzgerald's Coaching Staff Michigan State alum Max Bullough is back home again after serving as Notre Dame's linebackers coach from 2023-25. That first year, he was technically a graduate assistant before the NCAA removed restrictions on which football staff members could provide technical and tactical instruction in June 2024. With the Spartans, he is serving as linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. Another former Irish assistant, this one from the Brian Kelly era, is Fitzgerald's quarterbacks coach — John McNulty. He came to MSU after a third stint at Rutgers, where he was a senior offensive as- sistant. McNulty was a tight ends coach under Kelly during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, overlapping at Notre Dame in 2021 with Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during his one year as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator. — Eric Hansen Michigan State alum Max Bullough is back home again after serving as Notre Dame's linebackers coach from 2023-25. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS 2026 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 6 vs. Wisconsin* W, 41-13 Sept. 12 Rice W, 52-0 Sept. 19 Michigan State (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Purdue TBA Oct. 3 at North Carolina TBA Oct. 10 Stanford (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at BYU TBA Oct. 31 vs. Navy^ (ABC/ESPN) 12 p.m. Nov. 7 Miami (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 Boston College (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 SMU (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at Syracuse TBA * at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. ^ at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. 2026 MICHIGAN STATE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 4 Toledo W, 30-20 Sept. 12 Eastern Michigan W, 35-7 Sept. 19 at Notre Dame (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 Nebraska TBA Oct. 3 at Wisconsin TBA Oct. 10 Illinois TBA Oct. 17 Northwestern TBA Oct. 24 at UCLA TBA Nov. 7 at Michigan TBA Nov. 14 Washington TBA Nov. 20 Oregon (FOX) 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at Rutgers TBA