The turning point: at halftime, the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish found themselves trailing the Michigan State Spartans 31-14. For the second week in a row, it looked like the Irish would be leaving the state of Michigan with a lopsided loss, a loss that would surely end any hope of competing in the Bowl Championship Series, let alone playing for a national championship.
But a funny thing happened on the way out of East Lansing-the Spartans decided to abandon their game plan. Instead of turning his offense loose, Michigan State's coach John L. Smith decided to play conservatively and sit on a 17-point lead.
The Spartans' offense, which had racked up 24 points on the Irish defense in the first half, was reined in. The result was seven failed drives, six of them lasting less than six plays, and the final three ending in turnovers. The last of the turnovers, an interception by cornerback Terrail Lambert, was returned for the winning touchdown.
Smith and the Spartans cannot be assigned all the blame, however. Something sparked a shocked and dejected Notre Dame team at halftime. Led by All-American safety Tom Zbikowski, the Notre Dame defense clawed its way back into the game. After surrendering 58 points in its previous six quarters of play, the defense held MSU to only seven points in the second half. They also provided vital turnovers that shortened the playing field for Heisman hopeful quarterback Brady Quinn and the Notre Dame offense.
Trailing 37-21 with 8:18 left in the game, the Irish faced a pivotal fourth down, and coach Weis decided to roll the dice. Notre Dame needed five yards for a first down to continue the drive, and the Spartan defense pressed the line of scrimmage, hoping to stop a short pass or run play. However, All-American wide receiver and Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Jeff Samardzija caught a short slant pass from Quinn, dodged a tackle, cut back outside, and raced down the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown to reduce the Michigan State lead. Though they missed the ensuing two-point conversion, the momentum shifted in favor of the Irish.
From that point on, more than 80,000 rain-soaked Spartan fans watched in disbelief as the unthinkable happened. On the next offensive series, Irish free safety Chinedum Ndukwe stripped Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton of the ball at the MSU 24-yard line. Notre Dame quickly took advantage and Quinn got his fourth touchdown pass of the game, hitting wide receiver Rhema McKnight to make it 37-33 Spartans with 4:57 left.
On the following kickoff, Michigan State made another major mental mistake, but this one did not show up in the box score. The Spartan kick returner, Demond Williams, sprinted out of the end zone, only to take a knee at his 12-yard line without facing any pressure from the Irish, pinning his struggling offense deep in their own end.
Needing to pick up a first down to burn the clock, Stanton attempted a pass on a third and nine. Lambert picked off Stanton's pass across the middle and returned it 27 yards for the score. The touchdown made it 40-37 Irish with only 2:53 left. Any hope for Michigan State's own miraculous comeback ended when Lambert intercepted Stanton again. This interception sealed the comeback and the game for the Irish, who were looking for payback for last year's overtime upset by Michigan State in South Bend.
Now 3-1, Notre Dame faces a weak schedule with an excellent chance of running the table before playing the No. 3 USC Trojans on Nov. 25 in one of the season's premiere games. This contest features a rematch of an instant classic from 2005 in which USC tailback and human joystick Reggie Bush gave his quarterback Matt Leinart a quasi-legal shove across the goal line on the last play of the game to provide USC a 34-31 win in South Bend.
Saturday night's Notre Dame-Michigan State game, though historic in its own right, marked the 40th anniversary of the 1966 "Game of the Century," in which a 10-10 tie allowed the Irish to go on and win the National Championship later in the season.
The Irish hope that Saturday's game leads to their own happy ending, a BCS National Championship and a $14 million payday for the school, while Michigan State bides its time until trying for its chance at revenge next year.
