Michigan State at Notre Dame Preview

By Chuck Bednar  |   Friday, September 16, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Last week's 17-10 victory over Michigan proved that Charlie Weis and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were for real. Now, the Fighting Irish look to avoid a possible upset as they host the Michigan State Spartans in a Saturday game that kicks off at 2:30pm in South Bend, Indiana.

Under Weis's pro-style offense, the same that led the New England Patriots to three NFL titles in four seasons, junior QB Brady Quinn looks like a definite All-American candidate after two games. Quinn has completed 37 out of 57 passes attempted for a completion percentage of 64.9, 367 yards, and four touchdowns to just one interception. His newfound poise is noticeable, leading many football pundits to draw comparisons with another former Weis protégé, Tom Brady. The comparison is premature, but if Quinn keeps performing, he may well help lead the Fighting Irish to a New Years Day bowl game this season. Against the Spartans, though, he will be without one of his favorite targets in Rhema McKnight, who tweaked his right knee against the Wolverines and will be out of action for at least one week.

Michigan State, who like Notre Dame, enter the game with a 2-0 record, have been a dangerous opponent for the Irish in the past couple of years. They have won their last four games in South Bend and haven't lost at Notre Dame Stadium since 1993. The Spartans also enter the game with the second-best offense in the NCAA, averaging roughly 600 yards per game against Kent State and Hawaii and outscoring their first two opponents 91-28. And for all the hype surrounding Quinn, Michigan State's junior QB Drew Stanton has been just as impressive, if not more so. He has completed over 78-percent of his passes thus far for nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns. Stanton enters the contest with the fourth-highest passer efficiency rating in the country, and will need to maintain his pinpoint accuracy against a Notre Dame defense that has allowed an average of under 225 passing yards per game.
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