1. Force passing downs. The best way for Notre Dame’s defense to stop Michigan State’s offense will be to stop LJ Scott on first and/or second down and essentially take him out of the equation in third-and-long scenarios. Michigan State’s offense is predicated on methodical, long drives, so forcing Tyler O’Connor — who’s only attempted 72 passes in his college career — to convert third-and-longs seems to be the path for the Irish defense to be successful. And maybe pinning the Michigan State offense into these passing downs will result in Notre Dame netting its first sack of the season, too.
2. Get vertical on offense. Notre Dame hasn’t tapped into its vertical passing game this season, which was such a big part of last year’s offensive success (thanks to the presence of Will Fuller, of course). But Michigan State’s secondary allowed 22 passing plays of 30 or more yards last year (87th in FBS), and defensively will try to force Notre Dame into making a mistake in an extended drive. Beating the Spartans’ secondary downfield would be a good counter to that.
3. Make a defensive stop in crunch time. This didn’t happen against Stanford last year and Texas this year, with Notre Dame’s defense crumbling in close and late games. If Saturday night’s game has a close scoreline in the fourth quarter, chances are the Irish defense will have to come up with a stop to either allow the offense to take the lead or to secure a win. Doing so, too, could be a huge confidence booster for a defense that’s been hit with quite a few haymakers over the last two seasons.
Prediction: Michigan State 27, Notre Dame 26. Until Notre Dame's defense proves it can be trusted in a close game, there's enough skepticism here to go with the Spartans, even if the Irish are roundly favored to win.