​SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 19: Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Luke Talich (28) defends Michigan State Spartans quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (11) during the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 19, 2026 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images This was the game I was most excited to watch coming into the season. Michigan State traveled to South Bend to face a Notre Dame powerhouse with championship expectations, giving the Spartans an opportunity to measure themselves against one of the best teams in the country. The Toledo and Eastern Michigan games were fun, but these are the matchups that really get your juices flowing as a fan. You want to see whether your team can compete with, and possibly beat, a top-10 opponent. I also loved seeing this rivalry return after nearly a decade away.Although Michigan State did not get the win, we still saw plenty of encouraging signs and a foundation the Spartans can build upon. This performance gave me confidence heading into Big Ten play. Outside of the conference’s upper echelon, Michigan State showed that it can compete with and beat anyone on its schedule. This team continues to look better than the sum of its parts. The Spartans play hard, play physically and play for one another. Most importantly, they keep fighting until the end. That has become a staple of this coaching staff, and the players appear to be taking on the identity of their head coach.Cam Fancher once again gave the offense a spark with his legs. In the wind and driving rain, I would have liked to see more read options designed for him, creating easy throws and forcing Notre Dame’s defense to adjust. He can serve as the changeup that keeps a defense from settling in. His snaps may also help Alessio Milivojevic by allowing him to step aside, watch the defense from the sideline and process it from a different perspective. This offense is better with Milivojevic behind center, but we also saw some of his growing pains. He continues to lock onto his 1st read at times, and he often needs to see a receiver come open before delivering the ball instead of throwing with anticipation.Notre Dame’s speed, awareness and anticipation made those weaknesses even more difficult to overcome. The Irish repeatedly put Michigan State in unfavorable situations that played directly to their strengths. The deck was already stacked against the Spartans, and they needed to play nearly perfect football to give themselves a chance late. They did not reach that standard, but they showed enough fight and promise to make the rest of the season much more interesting.Before we dive in, a light apology for the excessive use of “damn” and “darn” throughout this week’s Film Room. After spending hours rewatching Notre Dame, I couldn’t help myself. You could say it was Dame near inevitable.Defense Needs Cons