The last time Michigan State and Notre Dame played in South Bend, the Fighting Irish picked up their first win at home in this rivalry since 1993. The Spartans saw their winning streak in South Bend come to an end after Kirk Cousins threw a late interception right in front of the end zone. A play earlier, he overthrew a wide open receiver who would have easily scored the go-ahead touchdown.
Michigan State got its revenge on Notre Dame for the 2009 loss in 2010 by scoring the game-winning touchdown on a fake field goal in overtime. The play was known simply as "Little Giants," and it gave Notre Dame yet another heartbreaking loss to recover from.
This year, Notre Dame is recovering from a couple of heartbreaking losses. In the first week of the season, the Fighting Irish dominated South Florida statistically, but thanks to a flurry of turnovers, they lost at home by a score of 23-20. Last week, Notre Dame blew a 24-7 lead, as well as a 31-28 lead in the final seconds to lose to Michigan, 35-31. Once again, the Fighting Irish were the better team statistically, but their turnover problem prevented them from winning.
This week, Notre Dame will attempt to prevent a 0-3 start from happening. Michigan State, on the other hand, will look to open the season 3-0 and turn up the heat on their rivals in South Bend by handing Brian Kelly and company another loss.
Here's the important information for Saturday's game:
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Radio: Spartan Sports Network
- Location: South Bend, IN
- Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium