Notre Dame football will welcome head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Michigan State Spartans to South Bend on Saturday night inside Notre Dame Stadium.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish enter the game with a 2-0 record and have managed to score 41 or more points in each of the first two contests. The Irish have also allowed just 6.5 points per game as a defense. Coming off a 52-0 shutout win over Rice, there’s a lot of optimism that this team will continue to grow toward their national championship expectations.

Michigan State, overhauled from a roster perspective during the offseason under its first-year head coach in East Lansing, enters the contest at 2-0. The Spartans’ offense is averaging 32.5 points per game while allowing just 13.5 on defense.

There is a level of context to consider with that start, having played Toledo and Eastern Michigan during the first two weeks. Like any team, however, they will come in ready to play and give Notre Dame their best shot. The brand demands that type of attention.

Here are the players to know for Michigan State, some of the key areas where they hope to perform well, and a bunch of other notes about the 2026 version of the Spartans.

Cam Edwards and the Michigan State rushing attack

On offense, Michigan State is led by UConn transfer running back Cam Edwards. In two games, he leads the Spartans in rushing with 250 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries, a 5.2-yard-per-carry average good enough for 125 yards per contest.

Edwards isn’t a dynamic athlete, but he is a tough, physical runner who routinely churns out extra yardage on the ground. The Spartans are averaging just over 200 rushing yards as a team, and Edwards holds the bulk of those opportunities.

If Michigan State is going to stay in this football game, it’s going to be because Edwards was efficient on the day. Shutting down the talented runner should be the main priority for Notre Dame, which will face a solid Michigan State offensive line but not a spectacular one.

The best performer up front is starting left guard Conner Moore (No. 58), a former transfer from Montana State. Moore played both left tackle and right tackle a year ago but has shifted inside to guard, where he feels like a much better overall fit. He is their enforcer up front and their most talented offensive lineman.

Alessio Milivojevic provides efficiency at quarterback

From a quarterback perspective, Alessio Milivojevic has thrown for 417 yards and three touchdowns during his first two games, including a 70.4% completion percentage and zero interceptions. The word that comes to mind when you talk about the Spartan signal caller is efficient.

There is nothing dynamic about the redshirt sophomore, and he has run for just nine yards on 13 carries across two games. He’s not going to make a ton of plays outside of structure. He’s not going to create a ton of explosives overall. But he does a good job of getting the football out of his hands.

Creating some quick pressures and forcing him into non-advantageous down-and-distance situations should be key for Notre Dame. For the most part, the Michigan State passing attack spreads the football around.

The most interesting pass catcher to me is freshman tight end Jayden Savoury. The 6-foot-5, 253-pounder has the ability to play both inline and detached from the line of scrimmage. He has eight receptions for 99 yards in his first two games this season.

Michigan State’s defense and players to watch

On the defensive side, Michigan State tries to eliminate efficiency on early downs. Through two games, the Spartans have allowed 89 rushing yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry, both impressive numbers. The context does point to the fact that they have not played the best competition yet.

Defensive lineman Eli Coenen stands out. The 6-foot-7, 289-pound former Illinois transfer currently leads the team with three tackles for loss and three sacks on the season. He has some ability to align up and down the line of scrimmage, possessing good length and athleticism for his size.

He mostly plays an interior position, but that versatility brings intrigue when Michigan State chooses to run some odd-man fronts.

The secondary is led by cornerback Charles Brantley, who started his career at Michigan State before transferring to Miami a couple of years ago and is now back with the Spartans. He’s a slender cornerback but has length and ball skills he has showcased throughout his career. Brantley will most likely draw the hardest matchup against the Notre Dame outside receivers.

This is a Michigan State defense that can certainly be had. Expect Notre Dame to try to create some easy mismatches early in this contest.