Spartans Earn Fourth-Straight Victory Over Notre Dame
9/23/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 23, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - ATTENDANCE - 74,714 (sellout). Today's sellout marks the 16th capacity crowd in the last 21 contests at Spartan Stadium, including the last eight in a row.
SERIES - Notre Dame holds a 41-22-1 edge over the Spartans following today's Michigan State win. The victory extended the Spartans' win streak vs. the Fighting Irish to four straight. It's the longest MSU win streak vs. Notre Dame since winning eight in a row from 1955-63.
For just the sixth time in Notre Dame history, the Fighting Irish have lost four or more consecutive games against the same opponent. The last teams to earn that distinction were Miami (four straight non-consecutive wins between 1983-87) and Air Force (four straight wins between 1982-85).
STREAKING AT SPARTAN STADIUM - Michigan State extends its home win streak to nine games with today's win. The Spartans' last home loss occurred on Nov. 14, 1998, when Purdue edged MSU, 25-24. It's MSU's longest home win streak since Duffy Daugherty's Spartans reeled off 12 wins at Spartan Stadium between Oct. 24, 1964-Nov. 12, 1966. That streak, ironically, was ended by Notre Dame when the Fighting Irish and the Spartans battled to a 10-10 tie in the "Game of the Century" on Nov. 19, 1966.
WILLIAMS WINNING WAYS Head coach Bobby Williams' record improved to 4-0 overall with today's Michigan State win. He becomes the first MSU coach to post wins in his first three regular-season games since George Gauthier in 1918.
TOP 25 TERRORS - Michigan State is now 6-1 in its last seven games against Top 25 teams in Spartan Stadium. The Spartans are 9-5 in their last 14 games against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Seven of those nine victories have come while the Spartans were unranked or ranked below its opponent.
DUCK THIS - RB T.J. Duckett continued his torrid pace, rushing for 141 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. Duckett now has 491 yards and three touchdowns on 85 carries so far this season.
The normally slow-starting Duckett rushed for 103 yards on 17 first-half carries. In MSU's first two games of the season, the sophomore from Kalamazoo gained 64 first-half yards. Duckett, however, gained just 38 second-half yards on nine carries. Coming into today, Duckett had gained 286 yards in the game's final 30 minutes.
With 141 yards today, Duckett has eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in all three games this season and four straight regular season contests dating back to the MSU-Penn State game last year. The last MSU back to achieve that feat was Blake Ezor, who bested the century mark on the ground in four consecutive contests from Nov. 4-25, 1989.
Duckett also is the first MSU back to run for more than 100 yards in the season's first three games since Lorenzo White turned the trick from Sept. 14-28, 1985.
HIGHLIGHT HERB - WR Herb Haygood caught three passes for 92 yards, including the game-winning 68-yard reception with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter. The 92 receiving yards marked a career high for Haygood, whose previous single-game best was 58 receiving yards vs. Northwestern on Oct. 31, 1998.
RUNNING WILD - Not only did Duckett have a big game on the ground, but Notre Dame's Julius Jones rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries today. He's the first opposing running back crack the 100-yard barrier against the Spartans since Wisconsin's Ron Dayne ran for 214 yards on 34 carries in a 40-10 win over MSU in Madison on Oct. 23, 1999.
SLOW STARTERS - For the third time in three games this season, Michigan State ended the first quarter without holding the lead. The host Spartans and Marshall were tied at 7-7 after the opening stanza Sept. 9 while Missouri jumped out to a 10-0 lead on MSU in Columbia last Saturday. So far this year, the Spartans are being outscored 24-7 by opponents in the game's first 15 minutes.
ANYONE FOR SECONDS? - MSU scored 10 second-quarter points en route to a 10-7 halftime lead. The Spartans had tallied just six second-quarter points in the first two games of the year.
THIRD QUARTER O-FER - MSU has held its opponents scoreless in the third quarter through three games this season. The Spartans, meanwhile have scored 24 points in the third frame this season.
UP IN SMOKE - QB Jeff Smoker was 12-for-24 for 181 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard scoring strike to Herb Haygood with 1:48 remaining in regulation time to win the game. The two TDs and 181 passing yards eclipse the freshman's previous career highs set in MSU's season opener vs. Marshall.
EXTRA POINTS - MSU K David Schaefer missed a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter, marking the first time this season he had failed on a field goal or PAT. The junior was perfect on his first field goal attempts and all five of his extra points coming into today. Schaefer, however, connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal late in the second quarter to give the Spartans a 10-7 halftime edge.
CAREER FIRSTS - WR Marcus Waters' 17-yard reception in the second quarter was the first of his MSU career.
Freshman RB Tyrell Dortch's first carry in an MSU uniform resulted in a three-yard gain. Dortch missed the Spartans' first two games while recovering from a right ankle sprain.
Freshman FB Travis Wilson hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Smoker in the third quarter for his first career TD reception.
