5 Telling Stats From Notre Dame-Michigan State

0; 11: Notre Dame’s season sacks and quarterback hurries, respectively

Notre Dame’s pass rush woes are well-documented. The Irish have yet to record a sack through the season’s first three games. Notre Dame joins Nevada as the only two schools in the 128-team Football Bowl Subdivision to not have a sack. Teams in the Associated Press Top 25 poll have an average of 8.6 sacks through three games. Among those teams, No. 19 Florida leads the way with 16 sacks, while No. 8 Michigan State, No. 12 Georgia and No. 14 Tennessee each only have three.

Taking it even further, Notre Dame’s 11 quarterback hurries — including three against the Spartans — would be about average among the AP Top 25 teams. Those teams have about 10 apiece, led by No. 5 Clemson (24), Georgia (20) and No. 10 Texas A&M (20). No. 18 LSU and No. 24 Utah each only have three. No. 9 Washington (11 sacks), does not track quarterback hurries.

50 percent: Michigan State's third-down conversion rate

Notre Dame allowed the Spartans to convert on 9-of-18 third-down attempts, a statistic that ended up costing the Irish late in the game. MSU quarterback Tyler O'Connor found freshman receiver Donnie Corley for a 28-yard completion on third-and-seven that helped run out the clock. Overall, O'Connor was 7-for-11 passing for 103 yards on third down, picking up six first downs.

Notre Dame now ranks 89th in FBS in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert on 41.7 percent of their attempts. Texas converted on 8-of-18 attempts (44.4 percent), while Nevada struggled, converting on 3-of-12 attempts (25 percent).

22:03: Notre Dame’s time of possession against the Spartans

Michigan State's physical ground game controlled the clock Saturday while Notre Dame's offense sputtered for most of the first three quarters. The Spartans — who through two games rank 17th in the country with an average time of possession of 34 minutes, 13 seconds — held the ball for 37:57 against Notre Dame.

That was evident when looking at the Irish offense and their numerous short drives. C.J. Sanders fumbled on the first play of an 11-second drive. DeShone Kizer was intercepted on the second play of a 33-second drive. Overall, Notre Dame had just two drives that lasted more than three minutes, while Michigan State had seven such drives.

2.58 ypc: Notre Dame's rushing average on first down against MSU

Notre Dame finished with just 31 yards on 12 carries on first down against the Spartans, a major factor in the team's stalled offense in the first half. That 2.58 yards-per-carry average on first down included four rushes for negative yardage.

10: Number of "chunk plays" allowed versus Michigan State

The Spartans tallied 10 chunk plays — defined as passes longer than 15 yards and rushes longer than 10 — against Notre Dame, including four on the ground. No play was more devastating than Gerald Holmes' 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give Michigan State a commanding 36-7 lead.

Notre Dame is one of only two teams in the country to have allowed four plays of 60-plus yards this season. Only Appalachian State has also allowed four.

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