There are two things that will change when Michigan State faces Notre Dame this weekend.
The Spartans and the US LBM Coaches Poll No. 3 Fighting Irish will renew their rivalry for the first time since 2017, and first-year MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald will face Notre Dame for the first time since 2018.
Fitzgerald was the head coach at Northwestern for 17 seasons. He also played linebacker for the Wildcats, which led to him becoming a two-time Consensus All-American, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a 2008 College Football Hall of Fame inductee.
Other accolades for Fitzgerald included being a two-time Bronko Nagurski Trophy and a two-time Chuck Bednarik Award winner.
Fitzgerald was also part of Northwestern’s 17-15 upset victory
over No. 12 Notre Dame in the 1995 season, which led to the Wildcats’ appearance in the Rose Bowl.
During his coaching days at Northwestern, Fitzgerald compiled an 112-101 overall record (65-76 in the Big Ten) and 5-5 bowl game mark. The Wildcats were nationally ranked in five of those seasons, with their No. 10 ranking the best (2020).
Fitzgerald is 1-1 in his career against Notre Dame. The Wildcats beat the Irish 43-40 in overtime during the 2014 season, then lost 31-21 to Notre Dame in 2018.
His time at Northwestern led to Fitzgerald receiving the Hayes-Schembechler (2018) and Bobby Dodd (2020) Coach of the Year awards. Fitzgerald also guided the Wildcats to two Big Ten West Division titles.
This season, Fitzgerald has carried MSU to a 2-0 record so far. The Spartans have scored 30-or-more points in each of the games.
Notre Dame and Michigan State will duke it out at primetime Saturday on NBC.
Game week
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 14, 2026
Battle for the Megaphone Trophy
🆚 Michigan State
📍 South Bend, Indiana
📆 Saturday, Sept. 19
⏰ 7:30 PM ET
📺 NBC | Peacock#GoIrish☘️ | @tirerack pic.twitter.com/LsUKQEwqsZ
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Here’s the coach leading Michigan State against Notre Dame in Week 3
