Michigan State Football: Top 10 games of the Mark Dantonio Era
9. Notre Dame (2010)
Forever known as the game in which “Little Giants” happened, Mark Dantonio and the Spartans put themselves on the map after this big win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2010. No, Michigan State was not playing one of the best teams in the country, but it was performing on national television.
The game was fairly back and forth and this was the time before the Spartans had a top-notch formidable defense. Dayne Crist did whatever he wanted to all game long through the air, hitting guys like Theo Riddick, Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph and TJ Jones — all NFL talent — with ease for 369 yards and four touchdowns.
Kirk Cousins kept up as much as he could, slinging for 245 yards and two scores, but Le’Veon Bell was beginning to make a name for himself in 2010. Spartan fans were beginning to see flashes of dominance from the freshman back. He finished this one with 114 yards and a touchdown while Edwin Baker had 90 and a score.
All of that offense led to an overtime contest with the Fighting Irish as the game was tied at 28 by the end of regulation. The Irish led the first possession to a field goal, putting the pressure on MSU to either match that or walk off with a win.
The offense stalled out and actually lost four yards, leading to a long fourth down and a 45-yard field goal try by Dan Conroy.
Michigan State fans filled Spartan Stadium with tension as they awaited the kick which was far from a guaranteed make. The snap was good, Conroy ran up and the holder, Aaron Bates, picked the ball up, scrambled to the right and hit tight end Charlie Gantt for a 29-yard touchdown to win.
Games don’t get more exciting or more unpredictable than this.
Next: 8. Ohio State (2015)