Upon further review: MSU receivers show they can answer prime-time call

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - With all the talk coming in about how dynamic Notre Dame's receiving duo of Golden Tate and Michael Floyd can be, Michigan State's trio of wideouts wiggled their way onto the national scene Saturday.

With two quarterbacks spreading the ball around, the Spartans finished with 354 passing yards divvied up between seven different pass catchers in their 33-30 loss to the Irish.

"There were positives to take out of this," MSU junior Mark Dell said. "We moved the ball better than last week.

"We showed we can play with a lot of teams."

In his first game back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the first two games, Dell caught six passes for 121 yards. Redshirt sophomore B.J. Cunningham grabbed seven balls for 74 yards, and senior Blair White had two touchdowns and 75 yards on six catches.

Continuing to contribute were tight ends Brian Linthicum and Charlie Gantt. Linthicum had two first-down grabs on the Spartans' final drive and finished with three catches for 34 yards. Gantt had two receptions for 34 yards.

"I feel like we played good," Cunningham said of the receivers and tight ends. "We had (the Irish) on their heels at the end of the game."

After a couple of early drops, Dell showed off a newfound sure-handedness Saturday. He made a few grabs either sliding or tip-toeing the sideline for first downs, and his explosiveness after the catch showed on a 57-yard grab from Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter that set up a go-ahead MSU score.

Cunningham also made a tremendous third-and-six catch on the last drive, a la Derrick Mason vs. Michigan in 1995, by snagging a deflected ball and managing to get his feet inbounds at the Notre Dame 18 for a first down with 1:16 left to play.

Cousins found five different Spartan receivers in three fourth-quarter drives, getting 132 yards on 10-of-16 passes on those late marches.

"All of our receivers were playing well ...," White said. "We were just moving right down the field and could have scored and would have scored."

Green in numbers

Visiting Notre Dame for a game is a trek of almost biblical proportion for college football fans. And for MSU faithful, it's almost a rite of passage.

"I always want to beat Notre Dame ...," said 2001 alum George Johnston, who traveled with the Macomb County chapter of the MSU Alumni Association and was taking in his first game in South Bend. "Personally, it's probably one of the top four games I'd want to see stadium-wise. You want to come down to South Bend, you want to see Touchdown Jesus, you want to see what the campus is all about."

Johnston, of Royal Oak, and his friend Jon Emmons, a 2003 grad who lives in Hamtramck, were part of a strong contingent of Spartan fans who traveled to the schools' 73rd meeting as part of the alumni association's trip and tailgate. About eight bus loads of fans, including two filled with students and six with fans, arrived Saturday morning a few hours ahead of the team and band for a under a canopy tent in the shadows of Notre Dame Stadium.

"It's so close to MSU, and people want to see MSU play Notre Dame" said Regina Cross, travel and events coordinator for the Alumni Association. "We've been pretty successful the last six years here. It's a great venue. The Notre Dame people are very friendly and fun and good to work with."

While more than 500 students and alums mingled around tables and chairs, loading up on food, drinks and MSU apparel, the cheerleaders came by and whipped them into a frenzy before they all headed into the stadium to cheer for the Spartans.

"A lot of it has to do with the fact that they're so well-loved across the nation. They think they're so much better than Michigan State and hold us in such low regard that it's a passion to want to beat them ...," Emmons said.

Stuck on the Irish

When discussing Notre Dame lore, perhaps the most noteworthy item in recent memory comes from the storied program's past.

It's the 1993 film, “Rudy” -- a tale about a walk-on who grinds away in practice to get his one shining moment on the hallowed Notre Dame Stadium turf. And because it's also Kirk Cousins' favorite film, he couldn't wait to do the same.

“Excited wouldn’t be enough to describe it. Obviously I’m pretty ecstatic,” Cousins said earlier this week. “'Rudy' was one of my favorite movies growing up. I can quote almost every line from that movie, and I understand the history there. I understand the great players and the coaches who have been in that stadium, and it’s just gonna be a dream come true for me, but obviously we want it to end in a win.”

Cousins found the movie on TV this summer and couldn't stop watching, much to the chagrin of his roommate Aaron Bates.

“Well, I guess if it was Michigan State it would be better, but just the story of what he did and the way he overcame his struggles is pretty inspiring. It’s probably my favorite movie ...,” Cousins said. “If it wasn’t Notre Dame it’d probably be a little bit better.”