Fighting Irish Stay Undefeated as Freeman Sees Room to Grow After 27-10 Win Over Michigan State

Notre Dame moved to 3-0 on the season Saturday night with a 27-10 victory over Michigan State, and head coach Marcus Freeman framed the result as proof of a team still finding its ceiling. The Fighting Irish built a 17-10 halftime lead, then shut out the Spartans in the second half to close out the win.

“To win by 17 and you don’t play your best ball, it’s encouraging,” Freeman said in a postgame broadcast interview, while stressing that the team needs to eliminate self-inflicted mistakes as the season progresses.

Now in his sixth season leading the program, Freeman guided Notre Dame to a national championship game appearance in 2024. After missing the College Football Playoff last year and opting out of a bowl game, the Fighting Irish have opened this season with wins over Wisconsin, Rice and Michigan State as they pursue a return to the playoff field.

Running Game Carries the Load

Nolan James Jr. anchored the Notre Dame offense, finishing with 121 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. The ground game helped the Irish control the tempo, particularly after halftime when the defense kept Michigan State off the scoreboard entirely.

The game aired on NBC, whose parent company Comcast holds the broadcast rights to Notre Dame home football. Comcast’s stock closed at $23.02 and was trading recently at $22.74, down about 1.22%, valuing the media and telecom conglomerate at roughly $92.5 billion. High-profile Notre Dame content remains a key asset in the company’s sports programming portfolio as college football continues to draw strong television audiences.

Road Test Ahead

The No. 3-ranked Fighting Irish hit the road next, facing Purdue in Week 4. Kickoff is set for Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. ET.

What to watch

• Whether Notre Dame cleans up the mistakes Freeman flagged as the schedule toughens into conference play.
• James’s continued role in the backfield after his 26-carry workload against Michigan State.
• College Football Playoff rankings later in the season, as the Irish seek to return to the field after last year’s absence.
• NBC’s college football viewership numbers, a data point relevant to Comcast’s media segment.

Source: original release