Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Post-Game Notes: Notre Dame
9/20/2026 1:10:00 PM | Football
• Saturday's game marked the 80th meeting between Michigan State and Notre Dame . . . The Irish now lead the all-time series 50-29-1, including a 30-14 record in games played at Notre Dame . . . The Spartans have won 11 of the last 20 meetings in the series . . . Eleven of the last 17 games in the series have been decided by one score or less . . . Prior to Saturday night, the two teams had not met since Notre Dame defeated MSU in Spartan Stadium in 2017, 38-18.
OFFENSE
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was 9-of-17 for 123 yards passing, with his streak of four straight games with a TD pass coming to a halt.
• Graduate quarterback Cam Fancher scored the first TD of his Spartan career with his second quarter 15-yard rushing score . . . overall, it was Fancher's 10th rushing TD of his collegiate career . . . Fancher finished the night with two rushes for 18 yards and the one TD . . . Fancher's 15-yard TD scamper was the MSU offense's longest scoring run of the season . . . Fancher now has five career rushes for 28 yards and a TD as a visiting player in Notre Dame Stadium, as he had three rushes for 10 yards in 2022 while at Marshall in the Thundering Herd's 26-21 upset of No. 8 Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2022.
• Graduate wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr.'s 53-yard reception in the second quarter to set up an MSU score was the longest reception of the season and the second-longest of his MSU career behind a 71-yarder at Minnesota (11/1/25) . . . Bullard finished the night with two catches for 66 yards . . . Bullard now has at least one catch in 30 of 43 career games . . . he also has multiple receptions in all three games this season as part of the fourth time in his second season as a Spartan, as part of the 24th time in his career.
• Redshirt freshman tight end Jayden Savoury led MSU with three catches, going for 30 yards . . . Savoury now has three or more catches in all three games, with a total of 11 receptions for the season, after just one catch in four games last season . . . Savoury has 30+ yards receiving in all three games.
• Redshirt junior wide receiver Fredrick Moore had two catches for 13 yards . . . Moore has multiple receptions in two of the three games, with three catches in the season opener vs. Toledo.
DEFENSE
• Notre Dame's field goal on its opening drive was not only the first time the Spartans' yielded a score on the opening drive, but also the first points allowed in the first quarter, having held the opposition scoreless in the first quarter through the first two games.
• Michigan State held Notre Dame to a season-low 27 points, nearly 20 points below its season average of 46.5 points per game entering Saturday after 41 points vs. Wisconsin in the season opener and 52 points last week vs. Rice.
• Senior linebacker Jordan Hall led MSU's defense with a game-high 13 tackles, the second-most of his career, behind his career-high 15 tackles vs. Boston College (9/6/25) . . . it was Hall's fourth career outing with double-digit stops, and first since 10 at Minnesota (11/1/25).
• Graduate cornerback Tre Bell posted a season-high five tackles, adding a pass break-up . . . the PBU was Bell's second of the season and he now has at least one pass break-up in four of his last six games played . . . Bell has 15 pass break-ups for his collegiate career.
• Redshirt junior safety Devin Vaught logged five tackles, and Saturday was the first game this season that he did not share the team lead for tackles . . . Vaught has at least five tackles in all three games.
• Senior linebacker Dion Crawford posted five tackles, marking the second straight game with five or more tackles after his season-high seven stops last time out vs. Eastern Michigan.
• Redshirt junior defensive lineman Elin Coenen had his streak of at least 1.0 tackle for loss halted at three games dating back to last season, but he countered with a career-high five total tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Graduate placekicker Liam Boyd split the uprights with his sixth field goal this season with his second quarter field goal from 32-yards out . . . Boyd is now 6-of-7 on the season, including 3-of-3 from 30-39 yards . . . Boyd also made one PAT and is now 7-of-7 for the season.
• Boyd also had three kickoffs for a 65.0 ypk average with all three going for touchbacks . . . Boyd now has at least three touchbacks in all three games, with a total of 13 through the three games.
• Junior punter Rhys Dakin had four punts for a 45.2 ypp average with a long of 57 yards, along with a 56-yard punt and two inside the 20 . . . the 57 and 56-yard punts were his second and third-longest punts of the season, respectively, behind his season-long 59-yarder vs. Eastern Michigan . . . Dakin now has three punts of 50+ yards this season, as part of 29 career punts of 50+ yards.
• Dakin's two punts inside the 20 were a season-high and he now has at least one punt inside the 20 in all three games and four total for the season . . . both punts inside the 20 were also inside the 10, as he now has at least one punt inside the 10 in all three games, now with four on the season . . . Dakin now has 16 punts inside the 10 for his collegiate career, as part of 51 career punts inside the 20.
OFFENSE
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was 9-of-17 for 123 yards passing, with his streak of four straight games with a TD pass coming to a halt.
• Graduate quarterback Cam Fancher scored the first TD of his Spartan career with his second quarter 15-yard rushing score . . . overall, it was Fancher's 10th rushing TD of his collegiate career . . . Fancher finished the night with two rushes for 18 yards and the one TD . . . Fancher's 15-yard TD scamper was the MSU offense's longest scoring run of the season . . . Fancher now has five career rushes for 28 yards and a TD as a visiting player in Notre Dame Stadium, as he had three rushes for 10 yards in 2022 while at Marshall in the Thundering Herd's 26-21 upset of No. 8 Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2022.
• Graduate wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr.'s 53-yard reception in the second quarter to set up an MSU score was the longest reception of the season and the second-longest of his MSU career behind a 71-yarder at Minnesota (11/1/25) . . . Bullard finished the night with two catches for 66 yards . . . Bullard now has at least one catch in 30 of 43 career games . . . he also has multiple receptions in all three games this season as part of the fourth time in his second season as a Spartan, as part of the 24th time in his career.
• Redshirt freshman tight end Jayden Savoury led MSU with three catches, going for 30 yards . . . Savoury now has three or more catches in all three games, with a total of 11 receptions for the season, after just one catch in four games last season . . . Savoury has 30+ yards receiving in all three games.
• Redshirt junior wide receiver Fredrick Moore had two catches for 13 yards . . . Moore has multiple receptions in two of the three games, with three catches in the season opener vs. Toledo.
DEFENSE
• Notre Dame's field goal on its opening drive was not only the first time the Spartans' yielded a score on the opening drive, but also the first points allowed in the first quarter, having held the opposition scoreless in the first quarter through the first two games.
• Michigan State held Notre Dame to a season-low 27 points, nearly 20 points below its season average of 46.5 points per game entering Saturday after 41 points vs. Wisconsin in the season opener and 52 points last week vs. Rice.
• Senior linebacker Jordan Hall led MSU's defense with a game-high 13 tackles, the second-most of his career, behind his career-high 15 tackles vs. Boston College (9/6/25) . . . it was Hall's fourth career outing with double-digit stops, and first since 10 at Minnesota (11/1/25).
• Graduate cornerback Tre Bell posted a season-high five tackles, adding a pass break-up . . . the PBU was Bell's second of the season and he now has at least one pass break-up in four of his last six games played . . . Bell has 15 pass break-ups for his collegiate career.
• Redshirt junior safety Devin Vaught logged five tackles, and Saturday was the first game this season that he did not share the team lead for tackles . . . Vaught has at least five tackles in all three games.
• Senior linebacker Dion Crawford posted five tackles, marking the second straight game with five or more tackles after his season-high seven stops last time out vs. Eastern Michigan.
• Redshirt junior defensive lineman Elin Coenen had his streak of at least 1.0 tackle for loss halted at three games dating back to last season, but he countered with a career-high five total tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Graduate placekicker Liam Boyd split the uprights with his sixth field goal this season with his second quarter field goal from 32-yards out . . . Boyd is now 6-of-7 on the season, including 3-of-3 from 30-39 yards . . . Boyd also made one PAT and is now 7-of-7 for the season.
• Boyd also had three kickoffs for a 65.0 ypk average with all three going for touchbacks . . . Boyd now has at least three touchbacks in all three games, with a total of 13 through the three games.
• Junior punter Rhys Dakin had four punts for a 45.2 ypp average with a long of 57 yards, along with a 56-yard punt and two inside the 20 . . . the 57 and 56-yard punts were his second and third-longest punts of the season, respectively, behind his season-long 59-yarder vs. Eastern Michigan . . . Dakin now has three punts of 50+ yards this season, as part of 29 career punts of 50+ yards.
• Dakin's two punts inside the 20 were a season-high and he now has at least one punt inside the 20 in all three games and four total for the season . . . both punts inside the 20 were also inside the 10, as he now has at least one punt inside the 10 in all three games, now with four on the season . . . Dakin now has 16 punts inside the 10 for his collegiate career, as part of 51 career punts inside the 20.
Players Mentioned
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