SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 15, 2012
No. 19 Notre Dame 20, No. 10 Michigan State 3: Everett Golson passed for one touchdown and rushed for another and No. 19 Notre Dame stuffed the offense of No. 10 Michigan State in a showdown at East Lansing, Mich.
John Goodman made a spectacular one-handed 36-yard touchdown pass to help the Fighting Irish to their first 3-0 start since 2002 and snap the Spartans’ 15-game home winning streak.
Notre Dame frustrated the offense of Michigan State (2-1) throughout the contest and limited Spartans’ star Le’Veon Bell to 77 yards on 19 carries.
The Fighting Irish added a 29-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza to cap a fourth-quarter drive and take a 14-point lead with 6:21 left. Notre Dame took possession on its own 4-yard line and traveled 84 yards over 6 1/2 minutes.
All-American linebacker Manti Te’o, who had 12 tackles for his 20th career double-digit tackle game, recovered Bell’s fumble on Michigan State’s ensuing drive with 4:19 remaining and Brindza added a 47-yard field goal 61 seconds later.
Golson and Goodman got Notre Dame on the board with 10:34 left in the first quarter. Golson scrambled toward the right sideline and threw deep to the left before Goodman made a superb left-handed grab of the ball while being interfered with in the end zone by Michigan State safety Isaiah Lewis.
The Fighting Irish tacked on another touchdown with 10:50 left in the first half when Golson scored from 6 yards out to cap a five-play, 51-yard drive.
Michigan State tallied with 3:43 left in the half when Dan Conroy boomed a 50-yard field goal.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Te’o played despite double tragedies during the week. His grandmother passed away Tuesday because of an illness and his girlfriend died the following day due to leukemia. … Michigan State offensive tackle Fou Fonoti missed the contest after injuring a foot in Wednesday’s practice. … Notre Dame is 3-11 on the road against Top 10 programs over the past 16 seasons.