Michigan State University Athletics
Football Media Center: Notre Dame
9/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 16, 2011
| No. 15/15 Michigan State (2-0) at Notre Dame (0-2) | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Sept. 17 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Location | Notre Dame, Ind. | Notre Dame Stadium (80,795/natural grass) |
| Televison | NBC (Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | Radio Affiliates |
| Satellite Radio | SIRIUS: Channel 113 |
| Radio (Mobile) | Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad | Android |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Notre Dame |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Notre Dame |
| Live Stats | |
| Social Media | @MSU_Football  | Facebook  |
STORYLINE
No. 15 Michigan State (2-0) heads to Notre Dame (0-2) for its first road game of the 2011 season on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on NBC.
FIRST-AND-10 (what you need to know about the MSU-Notre Dame matchup) -
• Saturday's game marks the 75th meeting between Michigan State and Notre Dame. The Irish lead the all-time series 45-28-1, including a 27-13 record in games played in South Bend, Ind., and a 16-13 mark in games played in Notre Dame Stadium. The Spartans have won 10 of the last 14 meetings in the series, including six of the last seven games played in Notre Dame Stadium. In addition, the visiting team has won eight of the last 12 games.
• Nine of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by seven points or less, including Michigan State's 34-31 overtime victory over the Irish last September.
• Michigan State ranks second among opponents in all-time victories (28) over Notre Dame. Only Southern Cal (34) has posted more wins over the Irish than the Spartans. MSU and USC have posted 13 wins each in Notre Dame Stadium - the most by any Fighting Irish opponent.
• Since 1949, the winner of the Michigan State-Notre Dame game has been presented the Megaphone Trophy, sponsored jointly by the Detroit alumni clubs of both schools.
• The Michigan State-Notre Dame series began 114 years ago in 1897, making it one of the 27 oldest rivalries in college football. It also ranks as one of only three rivalries - joining Army-Navy and Auburn-Georgia Tech - that does not involve either intrastate or current conference rivals.
• Michigan State has compiled a 38-15 record (.717) in games played against non-conference opponents since 1999. Mark Dantonio is 15-7 (.682) against non-conference opponents, including a 13-1 record in Spartan Stadium. Overall, the Spartans have won 21 of their last 29 non-league games.
• Michigan State leads the Big Ten in total defense (151.0 yards per game), scoring defense (3.0 points per game), passing defense (76.0 ypg.) and pass efficiency defense (77.2 rating). The Spartans also rank among the NCAA's (Football Bowl Subdivision) Top 10 in four of those stat categories: third in passing defense and scoring defense, fourth in total defense and sixth in pass efficiency defense.
• Michigan State's defense limited Florida Atlantic to only one first down, tying a school record (Maryland, 1944). The Spartans became the first NCAA FBS to hold an opponent to one first down since Oklahoma accomplished the feat against UT-Chattanooga on Aug. 30, 2008. MSU surrendered just 48 total yards against FAU, the seventh-lowest total in MSU history and the fewest since allowing 12 yards to Notre Dame in 1965. It also marked the fifth time a Spartan defense didn't allow a rushing first down and the first time since Ohio State in 1999. The Owls managed only 22 rushing yards, the second-lowest total in the Dantonio era (12 yards by UAB in 2007). FAU produced 26 passing yards, the fewest allowed in the Dantonio ear and the lowest total permitted by the Spartans since Army threw for just 10 yards in the 1984 Cherry Bowl.
• Michigan State's 44-0 victory over FAU marked its first shutout since posting a 17-0 win over the Owls in 2008. The 44-point margin of victory was the largest for the Spartans under Dantonio and the biggest since a 47-point win (61-14) at Illinois in 2005. It also marked MSU's largest shutout win since a 47-0 triumph over Eastern Michigan in 1996.
• Michigan State has surrendered only six points in the first two games, the fewest allowed in the first two games of the season combined since 1965 (UCLA - 3 points; Penn State - shutout).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS -
• Michigan State has earned a Top 25 national ranking in both The Associated Press and USA TODAY Polls for 16 consecutive weeks. It marks MSU's longest streak in the AP Poll since the Spartans appeared for 19 straight weeks from Sept. 19, 1999-Sept. 24, 2000.
• During his Michigan State career, Mark Dantonio has compiled a 7-1 record (.875) against Notre Dame, including 4-0 as an assistant and 3-1 as the head coach.
• In eight seasons as a head coach, Mark Dantonio's teams have compiled a 20-11 record (.645) during the month of September, including a 15-4 mark (.789) at Michigan State.
• Fifth-year senior B.J. Cunningham became MSU's all-time leader in receptions with his 7-yard grab on a third-and-4 play on the first series against Florida Atlantic. Cunningham finished with five catches for 73 yards (153 career receptions) against the Owls. He also ranks among the school's all-time leaders in touchdown receptions (tied for eighth with 14) and receiving yards (ninth with 1,983 yards). Cunningham has caught at least one pass in 36 consecutive regular-season games - tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA FBS. In addition, he ranks among all active NCAA FBS leaders in receptions (14th) and receiving yards (19th).
• Fifth-year senior Kirk Cousins, now in his third season as Michigan State's starting quarterback, has a chance to win more games than any other QB in Spartan history. Cousins has compiled an 18-9 record (.667) in 27 career starts (school record: 21 career victories by Jeff Smoker, 2000-03). His career winning percentage (seventh) and career victories (11th) rank among all active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks.
• Kirk Cousins is 10-for-10 passing for 89 yards on third downs, with seven of those completions resulting in first downs.
• With seven catches for 72 yards against Florida Atlantic, senior Keshawn Martin eclipsed the 1,000-yard career milestone for receiving yards. In 36 career games, Martin has 70 receptions for 1,037 yards (14.8 avg.) and six touchdowns.
• Senior Keshawn Martin has accounted for touchdowns in five different ways during his career (rushing, receiving, passing, punt return and kickoff return), joining Florida International's T.Y. Hilton and Western Kentucky's Darrius Brooks as the only active players in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision that have accomplished that feat.
THE LAST MEETING -
Sept. 18, 2010, in East Lansing, Mich.: The play was called "Little Giants" - and Michigan State used it to steal a victory from Notre Dame in the most audacious way imaginable.
With Dan Conroy lining up for a 46-yard field goal to tie the game in overtime and the play clock running low, holder Aaron Bates took the snap, stood up and waited for Charlie Gantt to come open downfield. The stunning fake worked to perfection, and Gantt's 29-yard touchdown catch gave the Spartans a 34-31 win.
David Ruffer had given Notre Dame the lead with a 33-yard field goal earlier in overtime. Dayne Crist threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns for the Irish. Notre Dame took a 28-21 lead with 13:20 to play in the fourth quarter when Michael Floyd caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Crist behind two defenders in the back of the end zone.
 In two career starts vs. Notre Dame, Kirk Cousins has completed 68 percent of his passes (46-for-68) for three touchdowns and two interceptions.  | |
Kirk Cousins tied it by scrambling to his right and finding B.J. Cunningham along the right sideline for a 24-yard TD with 7:43 remaining.
Until the final trick play, Michigan State was the more methodical team, content to push Notre Dame off the line of scrimmage and gain yards on the ground. Le'Veon Bell rushed for 114 yards, and Edwin Baker ran for 90.
After a 7-7 tie at halftime, Michigan State began finding more running room. Baker cut to the left through a big hole, then back to the right through the Notre Dame secondary for a 56-yard TD run just 40 seconds into the third quarter.
The Irish needed less than two minutes to equalize with their spread offense, going 74 yards in six plays and tying it at 14 on a 10-yard TD pass from Crist to Kyle Rudolph.
The teams then traded 11-play touchdown drives. Bell scored on a 16-yard run for Michigan State, and the Irish tied the game again on Crist's 15-yard TD pass to Theo Riddick. Notre Dame opened the scoring in the first quarter on Crist's 7-yard TD pass to Floyd.
The Irish appeared poised to take control in the second quarter after intercepting Cousins in the end zone, but Floyd fumbled after a catch, giving the Spartans the ball at their own 11. The Irish forced a punt and got the ball back in great field position at the Michigan State 27, but Crist threw an interception on the first play.
After that, the Spartans finally started moving the ball, going 94 yards in seven plays and tying the game on a 6-yard TD pass from Cousins to Keshawn Martin with 2:22 left in the half.
MEGAPHONE TROPHY -
Since 1949, the winner of the Michigan State-Notre Dame game has been presented the Megaphone Trophy, sponsored jointly by the Detroit alumni clubs of both schools. The megaphone is printed half blue, with a gold ND monogram, and half white, with a green MSC. All previous game scores are listed on the trophy.
Michigan State and Notre Dame played 36 consecutive seasons from 1959-94 until the two-year interruption of the series in 1995-96. After the current contract with Notre Dame expires following the 2011 game, the Spartans and Irish will meet 10 times over the next 14 seasons, with two-year breaks in 2014-15 and 2020-21.
MSU/NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS -
• Notre Dame's Brian Kelly succeeded Michigan State's Mark Dantonio as head coach at Cincinnati. Dantonio (2004-06) and Kelly (2007-09) each enjoyed three-year stints with the Bearcats.
• Notre Dame tight ends coach Mike Denbrock spent two years as a graduate assistant at Michigan State (1988-89) under George Perles.
• Notre Dame assistant director of strength and conditioning Lorenzo Guess was a four-year letterman as a safety at Michigan State from 1998-2001. Guess recorded 112 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass break-ups in 45 career games. He also lettered as a guard on the Spartan basketball team.
• Michigan State's veteran play-by-play radio announcer George Blaha graduated from Notre Dame in 1966 with a degree in economics. Blaha is in his 34th season as the Spartans' radio voice.
FRANK KUSH NAMED HONORARY CAPTAIN -
Former Michigan State All-American Frank Kush has been selected honorary captain for Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic. He will address the team during the pre-game meal and join the 2011 captains at midfield for the coin toss.
A three-time letterwinner for the legendary Clarence "Biggie" Munn, Kush helped the Spartans to a combined record of 26-1 from 1950-52, including back-to-back National Championships in 1951 and '52.
He started his senior year on the offensive line, but close calls in the first two games of the '52 season prompted the Spartan coaching staff to move him back to his middle guard position. At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Kush combined excellent quickness and sound technique to often disrupt opponent plays before they even got started. In his first game back on the defensive line, he recorded three tackles for loss in a 48-6 win over Texas A&M. In a late-season 14-7 victory at Purdue, he recovered a fumble and his play helped limit the Boilermakers to just 31 rushing yards. As a senior, Kush earned First-Team All-America honors from The Associated Press, Look Magazine, New York News, Fox Movietone, Athletic Publications and All-Catholic after helping anchor a Spartan defensive unit that allowed just 9.3 points and 223.3 total yards per game. He participated in both the 1952 North-South All-Star Game in Pontiac, Mich., and the 1953 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
The Windber, Pa., native enjoyed a successful stint as head coach at Arizona State from 1958-79 where he was named the National College Coach of the Year in 1975 and the conference coach of the year six times. Kush compiled a 176-54-1 record (.764) in 22 seasons at Arizona State, including a 6-1 mark in postseason bowl games. He also coached in three all-star games (East-West Shrine Game, Hula Bowl and Senior Bowl). After 25 years at ASU, Kush moved on to coach the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the Canadian Football League in 1981. A year later, he was named the head coach of the National Football League's Baltimore Colts. Kush changed leagues in 1984 when he became coach of the USFL's Arizona Outlaws.
He was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 1995. Kush was named to the Lansing State Journal's MSU Centennial Super Squad (Pre-Big Ten era) as a lineman in 1996 and was inducted into the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
COUSINS ESTABLISHES HIMSELF AS ONE OF NATION'S TOP QUARTERBACKS -
Fifth-year senior Kirk Cousins, now in his third season as Michigan State's starting quarterback, has a chance to win more games than any other QB in Spartan history. Cousins has compiled an 18-9 record (.667) in 27 career starts (school record: 21 career victories by Jeff Smoker, 2000-03). His career winning percentage (seventh) and career victories (11th) rank among all active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Cousins ranks third in the Big Ten and No. 12 in the NCAA FBS in passing efficiency with his 185.5 rating. He also ranks fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards, averaging 202.5 per game. Cousins has completed 34-of-42 throws for 405 yards and three touchdowns. His .810 completion percentage is the third-highest figure among NCAA FBS quarterbacks. He is 10-for-10 passing for 89 yards on third downs, with seven of those completions resulting in first downs.
Cousins completed 16-of-20 passes for 183 yards and two TDs in MSU's 44-0 victory over Florida Atlantic. He threw TD passes of 1 yard to Dion Sims and 8 yards to Garrett Celek.
With 222 passing yards in the 2011 season opener against Youngstown State, Cousins became just the fourth Spartan quarterback to eclipse the 6,000-yard career milestone, joining Jeff Smoker (8,932 yards), Drew Stanton (6,524) and Brian Hoyer (6,159). He connected on 18-of-22 throws against the Penguins, including an 18-yard TD strike to B.J. Cunningham late in the third quarter that gave MSU a 21-6 lead. Cousins completed his first six pass attempts for 114 yards.
The Holland, Mich., native currently ranks first in MSU history in completion percentage (.652; 490-of-751) and passing efficiency (148.8). Those figures also rank among the best in Big Ten history: second in completion percentage and fourth in passing efficiency. He is listed among MSU's all-time leaders in total offense (third with 6,114 yards), passing yards (third with 6,220 yards), touchdown passes (tied for third with 44), pass completions (fourth with 490) and pass attempts (seventh with 751). His 16 career 200-yard passing games rank third in Spartan history. In addition, Cousins ranks among all active NCAA FBS leaders in completion percentage (sixth), passing efficiency (eighth), passing yards (13th) and TD passes (14th).
CUNNINGHAM OPENS 2011 SEASON WITH A BANG -
Fifth-year senior B.J. Cunningham ranks second in the Big Ten in both receptions (7.0 per game) and receiving yards (101.5 per game). Cunningham leads the team in receptions (14), receiving yards (203) and 20-yard plays (3). Nine of his 14 receptions (64 percent) have resulted either a touchdown or a first down. Cunningham has caught at least one pass in 36 consecutive regular-season games - tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Cunningham became MSU's all-time leader in receptions with his 7-yard grab on a third-and-4 play on the first series against Florida Atlantic. He finished with five catches for 73 yards (153 career receptions) against the Owls. Cunningham also ranks among the school's all-time leaders in TD receptions (tied for eighth with 14) and receiving yards (ninth with 1,983 yards). In addition, he ranks among all active NCAA FBS leaders in receptions (14th) and receiving yards (19th).
The Westerville, Ohio, native set career highs for receptions (9) and receiving yards (130) in the 2011 season opener against Youngstown State, as he tied Matt Trannon's (2003-06) record for career receptions with 148. His 18-yard TD catch from Kirk Cousins late in the third quarter gave MSU a 21-6 lead. It marked his third career 100-yard receiving game.
