Notre Dame Football: Irish-Spartans Long History Continues Saturday

The Notre Dame football team finds a familiar foe in Michigan State this weekend.

Notre Dame and Michigan State continue their storied rivalry on Saturday night. Despite a long history, the Irish and Spartans will not meet again until 2026. By that time, Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly and Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio will likely be retired.

The Irish and Spartans first met in 1897 when Notre Dame pounded Michigan State, 34-6. The team from East Lansing seized their first victory over the Irish in 1910.

Despite their rivalry, the series featured many different winning streaks. To begin the series, Notre Dame won 8 straight games. Following Michigan’s 1910 victory, the Irish won 5 of the next 6 games.

The series went dormant from 1922 to 1948. The rivalry reemerged with Frank Leahy and Clarence “Biggie” Munn roaming the sidelines. Notre Dame triumphed 26-7 in South Bend. The Irish won the following year as well.

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Michigan State’s longest winning streak occurred next. From 1950 to 1963, the Spartans won 10 out of the next 11 contests including 8 consecutive from 1955-1963.

“Tie One For The Gipper”

The teams traded blows before the infamous 1966 battle. The classic battle between No. 1 and No. 2 occurred on November 19, 1966. Ara Parseghian brought his top-ranked Irish into East Lansing with a record of 8-0. On the opposing sideline, Duffy Daugherty and the Michigan State Spartans entered with a 9-0 mark.

Prior to the contest, Irish Running Back Nick Eddy fell on ice after getting off the train in East Lansing. His fall caused him to miss the game. Future NFL top pick Bubba Smith knocked Notre Dame Quarterback Terry Hanratty out of the contest. With adjustments to be made, Notre Dame quickly fell behind 10-0 in 2nd Quarter.

Even though Eddy and Hanratty were injured, the Irish fought back. Backup signal caller Coley O’Brien threw a touchdown pass to Bob Gladieux to make the score 10-7. The Irish tied the game on the first play of the 4th Quarter. Although many opportunities arose for the Irish to win, they failed to take advantage. The game ended in perhaps the most famous tie in sports history.

Modern Rivalry

Notre Dame won 24 of the following 28 matchups. Following this period of Irish dominance, Michigan State returned with a vengeance. From 1997 to present day, the Spartans represented the thorn in Notre Dame’s side. Many great seasons were wrecked by Michigan State victories. In 1998, 2000 and 2005, the Spartans marred the final Irish record.

Following a victory against defending National Champion Michigan in 1998, the Irish lost 45-23 in East Lansing. After victories against 2 ranked opponents (Texas A&M and Purdue) and a thrilling overtime loss to top ranked Nebraska, Notre Dame dropped a game to the 23rd ranked Spartans in the final moments.

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The 2005 overtime tussle in South Bend caused the rivalry to heat up. After beating Notre Dame in the first overtime period, Spartan players planted the flag in the turf. This drew the anger of Irish coaches, players and fans.

The following year, Senior Quarterback Brady Quinn led Notre Dame on a furious comeback. The Irish trailed by 16 points entering the 3rd Quarter. Cornerback Terrail Lambert intercepted Spartan signal caller Drew Stanton and returned it for the go ahead touchdown. Notre Dame prevailed 40-37.

Regardless of where these two teams find themselves in the polls, fans can expect this game to feature lots of fireworks.

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