Michigan State football played No. 3 Notre Dame tougher than many expected, but Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald is not satisfied with the performance.
Michigan State failed to put points up in the second half, losing a hard fought matchup to Notre Dame by the final score of 27-10 on Saturday. The Spartans only trailed by seven at halftime, but their offense struggled to get anything going after the break and the Fighting Irish eventually put the game away in the fourth quarter.
Following the game, Fitzgerald spoke with the media where he stated there are no moral victories for his program and that he will have trouble sleeping that night after the loss. Let's take a look at the other notable comments Fitzgerald made following the loss to Notre
Dame:
- Fitzgerald started off by stating Michigan State made too many critical mistakes against Notre Dame.
- Fitzgerald gave Notre Dame credit for a defensive play they hadn't previously shown on film that led to the big early fourth quarter sack for the Fighting Irish.
- Fitzgerald said he was "pissed off" after the game. "We came down here to win a game. We didn't execute."
- Fitzgerald gave praise to senior linebacker Jordan Hall, stating he's a hell of a player and that Michigan State needs him to be successful.
- Fitzgerald said he "probably" won't sleep on Saturday after the loss to Notre Dame, already looking forward to getting into the office on Sunday to review the film.
- Fitzgerald stated he "didn't get" starting running back Cam Edwards on his postgame injury report -- which is a good sign following a non-contact injury late in the game.
- Fitzgerald didn't provide much details on starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff's injury, simply stating he was not able to finish the game. Pretzlaff left the game in the first half with an undisclosed injury.
- In looking ahead, Fitzgerald stated Michigan State "will be a completely different team when we see them in Spartan Stadium next year." The Fighting Irish are scheduled to play at Michigan State next season.
- Fitzgerald said the Spartans need to eliminate the "down field penalties" and play a smarter and cleaner game. Michigan State ended the night with two penalties for 30 yards, but both were at critical points in the game.
Michigan State is now 2-1 overall on the year following the loss on Saturday. The Spartans will next play Nebraska (3-0) in their Big Ten opener this upcoming Saturday. Kickoff from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: What Pat Fitzgerald had to say following MSU football's loss at Notre Dame
