HD Highlights Of Michigan State's Win Over Notre Dame

From Andy_H of the Red Cedar Message Board:

Big East: Officials Made Correct Call In Michigan State-Notre Dame Game

Did the play clock expire on Michigan State’s game-winning fake field goal against Notre Dame? Should a delay-of-game penalty have been called on the Spartans? Irish fans certainly think so, and the visual evidence appears to support that argument.

The officiating crew working the game was from the Big East. And after reviewing the final play, the conference released a statement saying that the correct call was made and a penalty was not in order.

Big East officiating coordinator Terry McAuley explained the mechanics and guidelines that go into determining whether or not a penalty should be called on such a play.

From the Chicago Tribune’s Brian Hamilton:

“The responsibility is assigned to the Back Judge, who in this situation was standing beneath the upright. Proper mechanics dictate that his focus be directed to the play clock as it approaches zero. When the play clock display reads zero, he must re-direct his attention to the ball. At that time, if the snap has not started, a flag will be thrown for delay of game. If the snap has begun, no flag will be thrown.

“Under these procedures, there will always be a small amount of lag time between the time the clock reads zero and the time the Back Judge is able to see the football.”

McAuley added that the play is not reviewable under current NCAA rules.

'Little Giants' Already Part Of Michigan State Folklore

As boldly amazing as Mark Dantonio’s call for a fake field goal against Notre Dame in overtime may have been, it’s perhaps just as amusing that the name of the play was “Little Giants.”

From Joe Rexrode at the Lansing State Journal:

It’s also the name of a movie about a youth football team. Aaron Bates thinks it’s the only movie Mark Dantonio has ever seen, because “all our trick plays are named after ‘Little Giants.’” Dantonio said that he has, in fact, seen other movies.

Just the visual of the sour-faced Dantonio on his couch watching Ed O’Neill and Rick Moranis go at each other is enough for a chuckle. Maybe the movie even made Dantonio smile – just as he did when his Spartans pulled off their shocking overtime victory over Notre Dame.

Also fueling that smile may have been the stakes surrounding the game. As Rexrode points out, there was some pressure – even if self-imposed – on Dantonio to beat Brian Kelly.

This couldn’t be more fitting, of course, given the circumstances. This was MSU-Notre Dame but it was also Dantonio-Kelly, let’s be real. Dantonio needed to win this game because you can’t lose to Kelly’s first team. Kelly needed to win this game because he was already taking some heat for the Michigan loss, and his fan base knows how to manufacture heat.

There’s plenty more to read from Rexrode, including the process of installing “Little Giants” into Michigan State’s game plan, why Dantonio let his kicker off the hook, and the MSU coach’s history of calling trick plays.

Michigan State Beats Notre Dame In Overtime On Fake Field Goal

East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - Aaron Bates completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Gantt on a fake field goal play to give the Michigan State Spartans a thrilling 34-31 overtime victory versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Spartan Stadium.

Kirk Cousins completed 23-of-33 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns to pace Michigan State (3-0) in the victory, while Le'Veon Bell ran for 114 yards and a score as well. Edwin Baker registered 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while B.J. Cunningham grabbed seven passes for 101 yards and a score. Keshawn Martin added eight receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown for the Spartans who continue to trail in the all-time series by a count of 45-28-1 despite the victory.

Dayne Crist threw for 369 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception, to lead the way for Notre Dame (1-2). Crist completed 32-of-55 passes under center in the losing effort, with his biggest target being Theo Riddick who had 10 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Floyd grabbed six passes for 81 yards and a pair of scores himself. Kyle Rudolph rounded out the Irish receiving corps with eight receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown.

A seven-yard toss from Crist to Floyd late in the opening period of play gave the Irish a 7-0 lead.

After a quiet second period, the Spartans found the end zone with a six-yard toss from Cousins to Martin to tie the contest at 7-7 heading into the break.

The Spartans gained a 14-7 lead early in the third quarter following a 56-yard Baker run just 40 seconds into the period.

The Irish responded just minutes later however, tying the contest at 14-14 with a 10-yard strike from Crist to Rudolph.

The Spartans reclaimed the lead late in the frame with a 16-yard scamper by Bell into the end zone, but the Irish came back minutes later with a 15-yard scoring strike from Crist to Riddick that tied the contest at 21-21.

The Irish earned a 28-21 lead early in the final period of play with a 24-yard scoring connection between Crist and Floyd, capping a drive that covered 52 yards in less than 90 seconds.

The lead was short-lived however, as Cousins found Cunningham midway through the stanza on a 24-yard TD pass to knot things up once again, sending the game into overtime with the score 28-28.

In the extra session the Irish took a 31-28 lead on a 33-yard David Ruffer kick before Michigan State found the end zone following its brazen fake field goal to earn the exciting three-point victory at home.

Did Play Clock Run Out On Spartans In OT?

Did the Spartans get away with one in their overtime victory over Notre Dame on Saturday night? 

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead posted a screen shot on Twitter that showed the play clock ran out before Michigan State snapped the ball on their game-winning fake field goal. 

Take a look for yourself:

(via img197.imageshack.us)

Video: Michigan State's Fake Field Goal In Overtime Beats Notre Dame

Michigan State's Mark Dantonio made the call of the season tonight, deciding to fake a field goal in overtime to beat Notre Dame, 34-31. The play, apparently called "Little Giants," caught everyone, including Notre Dame, off guard, allowing a wide open Charlie Gantt to catch a pass from holder (and punter) Aaron Bates for the game-winning touchdown.

Michigan State Defeats Notre Dame In Overtime, 34-31

A bold fake field goal gave the Spartans the game-winning touchdown in overtime, beating Notre Dame 34-31.

Michigan State looked to be in trouble when quarterback Kirk Cousins was sacked for an eight-yard loss on third down, pushing them back to the Irish 28-yard line. The Spartans lined up for what would’ve been a 45-yard field goal. Kicker Dan Conroy made three kicks over 40 yards last week versus Florida Atlantic, but that game was played indoors at Ford Field.

Instead, Aaron Bates hit Charlie Gantt down the right sideline for a 28-yard touchdown pass and a big Saturday night win.

We’ll have a full recap here later at SB Nation Detroit. You can also click over to The Only Colors for the MIchigan State afterglow, and Rakes of Mallow for the Notre Dame post-game thoughts.

Michigan State And Notre Dame Head Into Overtime, Tied 28-28

60 minutes of regulation football just wasn’t enough for Michigan State and Notre Dame in East Lansing Saturday night. The Spartans and Fighting Irish are headed to overtime, tied 28-28, to settle this contest. Both teams have combined for over 900 yards of total offense.

Michigan State’s running game has been near-unstoppable, with two of their tailbacks rushing for nearly 100 yards. Freshman Le’Veon Bell has 112 yards on 16 carries with one touchdown. Sophomore Edwin Baker racked up 92 yards on 13 carries, including a 56-yard scoring run.

However, the Spartans have had difficulty defending Notre Dame’s wide-open passing attack. Quarterback Dayne Crist has thrown for 368 yards and four touchdowns. His primary target has been Theo Riddick, who’s caught 10 passes for 127 yards. Fellow wideout Michael Floyd has two touchdowns to go with 81 yards and six receptions.

Michigan State’s wide receivers have also had a productive night. B.J. Cunningham has caught seven passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Keshawn Martin has eight receptions for 97 yards and a score.

Michigan State Vs. Notre Dame Preview

(Preview from The Sports Network)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Spartan Stadium (72,027) -- East Lansing, Michigan. Television: ABC. Home Record: ND 1-1, MSU 1-0. Away Record: ND 0-0, MSU 0-0. Neutral Record: ND 0-0, MSU 1-0. Conference Record: ND 0-0, MSU 0-0. Series Record: Notre Dame leads, 45-27-1.

GAME NOTES: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hit the road for the first time, as they invade East Lansing this weekend to battle the Michigan State Spartans.

The Irish are coming off their first loss under new head coach Brian Kelly, as a late drive propelled Michigan to a 28-24 victory last weekend. Despite the setback, ND looks like a different team from a year ago under Kelly, who won his debut with the program in a 23-12 decision versus Purdue on September 4th.

MSU, meanwhile, remained undefeated with a 30-17 victory over FAU last weekend. This will be the first of three straight home games for the Spartans, who opened the season with a 38-14 victory over Western Michigan in East Lansing.

With respect to the all-time series, ND holds a 45-27-1 advantage over MSU and that includes a 33-30 triumph in last season's meeting.

After Michigan took a 28-24 lead with 27 seconds left, ND still had a decent chance to respond from the Wolverine 27-yard line, but Dayne Crist's pass went out the back of the end zone on the final play. It was just good see Crist back under center on the last play, as he missed most of the first half due to a head injury. He finished the game with 277 yards and two TDs in a resilient effort. ND, however, must be careful to protect its starting QB, as the backups clearly aren't ready, going a combined 8-of-18 for 104 yards and two picks with Crist sidelined.

TE Kyle Rudolph was the main target against Michigan, as he snared eight balls for 164 yards and a TD. A preseason All-American, Rudolph hauled in a 95-yard TD reception, the second-longest in school history, with 3:41 left to give ND a 24-21 lead. Unfortunately it went to waste.

The ground attack for the Irish has averaged 153.5 ypg through two games behind Armando Allen, who has rushed for 182 yards thus far.

Defensively, the Irish had all sorts of trouble trying to slow down Michigan and QB Denard Robinson, who threw for 244 yards and ran for 258 more. Robinson also guided Michigan on a 72-yard, 12-play game-winning drive in which he capped with a two-yard run with 27 seconds left. It was quite performance and ND really had no answer for him.

The defense did force 10 punts while keeping Michigan off the scoreboard in the second half until the final drive, but the unit failed to come up with a takeaway or sack and that certainly hurt. Manti Te'o guided the defense with 13 stops and a forced fumble.

Through the first two games MSU has clearly established its ground attack, which went for 225 versus FAU last weekend after gaining 297 yards in an opening win over WMU. Edwin Baker led the charge last weekend with 183 yards, including an 80-yard TD scamper, while Le'Von Bell had 49 yards and a score. Both players cracked the century mark and had a pair of TDs in the opener, so MSU couldn't ask for anything more from these young backs.

The Spartans, however, would like to see more form QB Kirk Cousins, who completed only 9-of-17 pass attempts for 142 yards with one TD and one INT against FAU. It obviously wasn't a good effort and Cousins will need to be much sharper this weekend against a ND defense that will surely put extra players in the box to stop the run.

On the defensive side of the ball, MSU had some issues last weekend even though the unit only allowed 301 total yards and 17 points to FAU. The defense spent over 37 minutes on the field, far too long, and allowed FAU to go 9- of-18 between third and fourth downs.

The run defense though, continues to be stout for the Spartans, who have allowed a total of just 130 rushing yards in the first two games. Greg Jones and Eric Gordon each finished with 11 stops in the win over FAU, with Jones adding a forced fumble and Gordon tallying a sack.

The Spartans have been impressive with their ground attack, but have yet to prove they are a solid pass team. Expect the Irish to focus on the run and make MSU beat them through the air. This should create opportunities for turnovers and gives ND the edge this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Notre Dame 30, Michigan State 27

Saturday, September 18th, 8:00 p.m. (et)

Michigan State Tight End Garrett Celek Out With Shoulder Injury

Michigan State will be without tight end Garrett Celek against Notre Dame, and it's possible he could be out for the season. From Joe Rexrode:

Celek, who has battled injury issues in the past, caught a pass early in MSU's 30-17 win over Florida Atlantic, then went down on a running play in the first half. MSU coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday that Celek is still debating whether or not to have surgery.

If he doesn't have it, Dantonio said, he might be able to return in four or five weeks. If he does, he'll be done for the year and may be able to get a medical redshirt to preserve the year of eligibility.

The Spartans have pretty good depth at tight end. That's necessary when you run as many two-tight end sets as they do, but there won't be a big drop off from the starters to the back ups even with Celek potentially done for the season.

Charlie Gantt is the starting tight end on the depth chart this week and behind him are Brian Linthicum and Dion Sims. Neither Linthicum nor Sims is established as the sole backup, as there is an "OR" separating the two on the depth chart.

Michigan State Vs. Notre Dame: Larry Caper Says He Will Play

Michigan State running back Larry Caper missed the first two games of the season with a hand injury. He could have played had he been needed, but with the Spartans taking on a couple of easy opponents in Western Michigan and FAU, there was no point to rush Caper back. That was a good idea, as Caper got a chance to rest up and Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell got a chance to show off their talent, doing a great job of filling in at running back.

With the Spartans taking on Notre Dame this Saturday in a huge primetime matchup, Caper is set on playing, according to Lisa Byington.

Larry Caper says he will play Saturday. But doesn't know what his role will be. Hurt his rt hand "stiff arming" in practice wks ago.

Between Caper, Baker and Bell, Michigan State has a very solid stable of running backs, and they will be very important on Saturday against Notre Dame. Many expect the game to be a shootout, so being able to establish the run will be a key thing early on for the Spartans.