SOUTH BEND, IN – More than nine months ago, during his introductory press conference, Pat Fitzgerald confidently reminded his new fanbase that, “Toughness was born here in Michigan State football.”
He then went on to cite three parts of his vision: “We're going to be tough. We're going to be physical. And we're going to do it the smart way.”
But he also made one other thing abundantly clear that December afternoon. “Number one, we need to win.”
Which makes everything he said Saturday, Sept. 19, after the Spartans’ first defeat on his watch make much more sense. In the aftermath of their 27-10 loss at No. 3 Notre Dame. And in the grand scheme of where he wants to take his program.
“There's no such thing as a moral victory,” Fitzgerald emphasized.
“I'm pissed. I'm pissed,” he said inside the bowels of Notre Dame Stadium after MSU showed tremendous fight all night. “We came down here to win a game. We didn't execute cleanly, so I'm really pissed off right now, to be quite honest with you.”
The Spartans (2-1) battled and stuck with the Irish (3-0), overcoming a first-play 61-yard pass from CJ Carr to Micah Gilbert to force a field goal and clawing back from a 10-0 early deficit. They went into halftime trailing, 17-10, after backup quarterback Cam Fancher’s 15-yard touchdown run. It was 20-10 after three quarters.
And quarterback Alessio Milivojevic had the offense driving until the Irish defense overpowered them on the first three plays of the fourth quarter. Carr then quickly dissected MSU’s defense one final time with a pair of deep passes and his 3-yard touchdown run to pull away for good.
“We came out with energy, and we knew we could have won that game,” said Milivojevic, who finished 9-for-17 for 123 yards with two interceptions and four sacks, three of which came in the fourth quarter and two of which halted that promising possession. “And I think we gave it to them as much as they took it from us.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman felt the same way from the other perspective. And in doing so, he alluded to another trait Fitzgerald said he wants his program to be known for – letting opponents know they’ve just gone through a dogfight.
“It wasn't perfect, as everybody saw, but it was a good victory and a hard-fought victory,” Freeman said. “Those are the type of victories that you're going to have to win and find a way to win.”
MSU also showed the resiliency Fitzgerald has preached that his players need to have to overcome mistakes and shortcomings. There were plenty of “self-inflicted wounds” and a disparity in talent that the Spartans’ aggression and resolve helped bridge the gap. It was embodied by the passionate play of linebacker Jordan Hall, who missed last week with a right arm injury and played Saturday through the persistent pain with a brace on it.
After Carr’s long pass to open the game, Hall played one of the most possessed stretches of one-man defense the Spartans have seen in years. He made three straight tackles to force a field goal, and three more tackles to start the Irish’s second possession.
The Spartans showed they bought in to what Fitzgerald said all week, that he felt the Spartans – despite being 29½-point underdogs – could walk into Notre Dame and win. And Hall, a two-time captain, set the tone for his entire team.
“I was just trying to play my part in getting the win today. Came up short,” said Hall, who had a game-high 13 tackles. “But everybody, from the beginning of the week, had belief. I mean, I’m not keeping score, I was just the one making tackles. But everyone had belief. And a lot of those tackles were made because somebody in front of me or behind me did something. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t give credit to some of those guys.”
Both Hall and Milivojevic came away feeling the Spartans learned valuable lessons about themselves with Big Ten play starting next Saturday at home against Nebraska (5 p.m., BTN). And with a blank slate to begin chasing a championship – even if outside odds might be stacked against them.
“We’re gonna fight. You could tell by the way we played today we’re gonna fight,” Milivojevic said. “We have a really good football team. I think it just comes down to finishing.”
Which comes back to Fitzgerald’s ultimate goal for MSU, both now and in the future. It’s not simply staying in the fight for three quarters, keeping it close until the end.
“We came here to win a game,” he said. “We didn't get it done.”
And through his own frustration – “I'm a competitive S.O.B., so I'm not very happy right now,” – Fitzgerald caught a glimpse of something he clearly appreciated. A locker room full of players who felt the same way as their new coach.
“They were mad, they were upset,” he said. “I told them to leave it here and be motivated to come back to work on Monday, and I know they will.”
And perhaps the biggest lessons and benefits from the loss will be seen down in the weeks to come this season.
“I think our guys were ready to play,” Fitzgerald said. “I don't think they were intimidated by the moment. … We just gotta keep learning and growing, keep developing.”
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Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pat Fitzgerald, MSU 'pissed off' after Notre Dame was there for taking
