Sept 22, 2001

Notre Dame Michigan State Final Stats

By TOM COYNE
Associated Press Writer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Ryan Van Dyke threw two touchdown passes to lead Michigan State to a 17-10 victory over No. 23 Notre Dame on Saturday, the Spartans’ fifth straight victory over the Irish.

It is only the second time the Irish have lost more than four straight to an opponent. The only other teams to accomplish the feat were Southern Cal from 1978-83 and Michigan State from 1955-63.

The game-winning touchdown was a quick slant on a Notre Dame blitz, reminiscent of last season’s game-winning play when Jeff Smoker hit Herb Haygood with a 68-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-10.

This time, with the game tied at 10 and the Irish (0-2) blitzing on third-and-6, Rogers ran across the middle, caught the pass, spun out of cornerback Vontez Duff’s attempted tackle and raced down the sideline and dove into the end zone for the score for the Spartans (2-0).

The Irish had two last chances to tie. They attempted a fake field goal on a run by Nicholas Setta, but he was tackled almost immediately by Mike Labinjo. The Irish hopes for a comeback ended when a pass by Matt LoVecchio bounced out of the hands of Julius Jones and was intercepted by Broderick Nelson.

Van Dyke also threw a 6-yard scoring pass to Chris Baker in the second quarter to put the Spartans ahead 10-3. He was 9-of-15 passing for 149 yards. Smoker was 5-of-10 for 59 yards.

T.J. Duckett had 71 yards rushing as the Spartans had 153 yards rushing.

LoVecchio was 12-of-22 for 119 yards with one interception. Tony Fisher rushed for 103 yards on 17 carries and Jones had 56 yards on 13 carries

Notre Dame’s lone touchdown came after Jones returned a punt 53 yards to the 6-yard line with 45 seconds left in the first half. The Irish tied it at 10 on the next play on a pass from LoVecchio to Javin Hunter. Under heavy pressure, LoVecchio began to run, stopped at the line of scrimmage and hit Hunter at the back of the end zone.

The Irish haven’t had a sustained touchdown drive yet this season. Their only touchdown in a season-opening 27-10 loss at Nebraska came on a 1-yard run following a blocked punt.

The Spartans struggled again with penalties. They were called for 14 penalties for 101 yards, including 10 for 71 yards in the first half.

On Michigan State’s first touchdown drive, Van Dyke hit Little John Flowers for a 25 yard pass on his first play, ran for 19 yards on his second play, threw a 26 yard pass to Haygood three plays later to help set up a 6-yard scoring pass to tight end Baker.

The record crowd of 80,795, because of about 140 seats added in the end zone, held up flags before the game during the singing of “America the Beautiful” and the national anthem.

Before the game, the Rev. Edward A. Malloy, the university’s president, led the fans in a prayer for those who died and their survivors.

“At such a time we draw upon the innermost resources of our lives and of our faith,” he said.

For the most part, it appeared to be a typical football Saturday at Notre Dame. The parking lots were filled with tailgaters, children played catch with their fathers around the stadium and people milled about waiting for the gates to open. Inside, the fans booed Michigan State and cheered the Irish.

The most obvious difference was the lack of small airplanes pulling banners over the stadium. Students handed out red, white and blue.

Ushers searched purses and packages being brought in by fans, but it didn’t appear to cause any long lines. A security officer searched media carrying in computers and cameras.