By Adam Bendiksen

Game Notes: For the second straight week, Notre Dame was involved in a shootout, this time with the Spartans of Michigan State, who had beaten the Fighting Irish each of the last two seasons. There were several lead changes in this contest and each team at times moved the ball at will. Unlike the prior week against Michigan, Notre Dame was able to hold on to victory when they intercepted QB Kirk Cousins inside the five yard line to preserve a 33-30 lead and subsequently ran out the clock.

College: Michigan State - Conference: Big 10

LB - Greg Jones, #53 - 6' 1.0" - 222 - 4.60 - 2011: Tackling machine averaging double-digit stops a game. Undersized attacking player who must be on the move and be shielded from blockers to be effective. Agile and athletic and runs well. Displays good instincts and diagnoses plays quickly. Usually blitzing versus both the run and pass, but has the tools to develop in pass coverage. Plays hard and can lay the big hit. GRADE: Positive

WR - Mark Dell, #2 - 6' 2.0" - 188 - 4.50 - 2011: First game of the season following a shoulder injury. Didn’t start, but logged more and more snaps as the game went on and made his presence felt. Very smooth athlete with fine balance and body control. Quick in and out of his breaks. Good, but not great, speed. Can play outside and from the slot. Willingly goes over the middle and excels after the catch. GRADE: Positive

S - Danny Fortener, #33 - 6' 1.0" - 199 - 4.65 - 2010: Did not start or contribute to the defense. Played on special teams but recorded no stats. GRADE: Incomplete

WR - Blair White, #25 - 6' 2.0" - 200 - 4.65 - 2010: Consummate overachiever who began his career as a walk-on, earned a scholarship, was voted team captain, has already graduated, and has been accepted to grad school. Doesn’t have great speed but has deceptive quickness and the innate ability to get open. Runs great routes and sells his fakes. Goes over the middle and catches everything. Better athlete than advertised. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

C - Joel Nitchman, #65 - 6' 3.0" - 297 - 5.25 - 2010: Injured and was held out of this contest. GRADE: Incomplete

CB - Chris Rucker, #29 - 6' 2.0" - 190 - 4.50 - 2011: Has had trouble defending the deep ball this season, but played well in this game and broke up what would have been a long touchdown. Fast player who prefers physical, bump-style coverage to zone. Aggressive tackler who comes up hard in the run game. Big hitter. Plays on special teams. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

DE - Trevor Anderson, #58 - 6' 2.0" - 250 - 4.75 - 2010: Undersized DE who will have to play LB on the next level. Very strong for his size and plays with natural leverage. Good run defender who can hold the point. Average quickness and was handled easily on the pass rush by Sam Young. Plays hard. GRADE: Somewhat Negative

OT - Rocco Cironi, #57 - 6' 6.0" - 308 - 5.40 - 2010: Big, physical mauler who gets good push on run blocks. Limited athletically but battles hard and gets the most out of his ability. Doesn’t have quick feet and can be beaten by speed. Strictly a RT or G at the next level. GRADE: Neutral

K - Brett Swenson, #14 - 5' 8.0" - 169 - 5.00 - 2010: Fine kicker with a big leg, but had a tough game vs. Notre Dame with a miss from 52yds. (hit the upright) and a blocked extra point. Kicked arguably the greatest onside kick ever; the ball crossed the necessary ten yards, then reversed direction and rolled backward two yards behind the advancing Spartans. Notre Dame had no chance of recovering. GRADE: Neutral

College: Notre Dame - Conference: IA Independents

OT -Sam Young, #74 - 6' 7.4" - 330 - 5.45 - 2010: Huge, mauling RT prospect who appears to be in better shape than 2008. Solid athlete with decent feet and technique. Plays with a wide base and gets good arm extension. Better in pass protection but is a decent run blocker who gets some movement and can run some. Making stupid penalties as of late, some of which have cost the Irish. Must get his head in the game, but is the real deal. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

QB - Jimmy Clausen, #7 - 6' 2.0" - 223 - 4.90 - 2011: Prototypical NFL Quarterback with all the necessary skills. Big, strong and athletic with a rocket arm. Can make all the throws but is particularly accurate down the field. Great delivery and decent feet and mechanics. Prefers to work from the pocket but can throw on the move and won’t hesitate to run if necessary. Understands the offense and distributes the ball to many different receivers. Tremendous poise. Extremely tough; sprained his big toe in the second quarter and came back to finish the game (injury sidelined him for much of practice this week). In my opinion has made the biggest jump of any prospect from 2008 to 2009. GRADE: Very Positive, A Plus

TE - Mike Ragone, #83 - 6' 4.0" - 251 - 4.80 - 2011: Second fiddle to Kyle Rudolph and is now the blocking TE. Big and runs well, and is a reliable target, though rarely used. Solid blocker who gets some movement, but is mostly a position/seal guy with good technique. GRADE: Neutral

WR - Robby Parris, #82 - 6' 3.0" - 205 - 4.60 - 2010: Relegated to third receiver with the emergence of the young stars, but is productive and smart. Good athlete and gliding runner with good hands. Runs solid routes and will go over the middle. Gives good effort as a blocker. GRADE: Neutral

DE - John Ryan, #90 - 6' 4.0" - 260, 4.80 - 2010: Lean, long-armed player who succeeds mainly on hustle. Decent athleticism and quickness and plays with solid technique, but can be handled by big, strong tackles. OLB prospect at the next level. GRADE: Somewhat Negative

CB - Darrin Walls, #2 - 5' 11.5" - 180 - 4.50 - 2010: Returns in 2009 after missing 2008. Big, fast athletic corner who likes to gamble. Has solid man to man skills, but can be beaten by double moves and fakes. Has a short memory and competes play after play. Drives well on the ball and breaks up passes. Attacks the run and is a good tackler. Worth watching to see how he develops as the season progresses and he gets back in the flow. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

OL - Eric Olsen, #55 - 6' 4.0" - 303 - 5.10 - 2010: Played guard in 2008; now playing center, a move which should pay huge dividends. Appears to be the prototype, displaying fine instincts and leadership. Very good athlete who can pull and block on the second level. Strong, tough player who likes to mix it up. Plays with power and gets movement off the ball, and can also execute grab & turn blocking techniques. Very strong hands; once he locks on, it’s over. Excels on screens. Can absorb a bulrush but occasionally can be beaten by stunts and quickness, which he should correct as he logs more snaps. GRADE: Very Positive

S - Kyle McCarthy, #28 - 6' 0.5" - 210 - 4.60 - 2010: Fan favorite went from nobody to team captain and bona fide pro prospect. Very smart and has already graduated. Sound safety who is never caught out of position. Fine open-field tackler who squares up well and doesn’t miss. Can play in the box and attacks RB’s. Hard hitter who makes tackles all over the field. More of a centerfielder, but has the athleticism to cover backs and TE’s. Has three picks in three games, including the game-saver in this contest on Notre’ Dame’s 4yd line with less than a minute to play. GRADE: Positive

Other Players of Note:
The Irish’s outstanding pair of underclassmen WR’s Golden Tate and Michael Floyd may turn out to be the best set of receivers in the nation -- next year. Floyd, who already has tied Tim Brown for ND’s all time receiving TD mark (as a sophomore) broke his collarbone on a disputed incomplete call in the endzone, ending his season. Tate, a great run-after-catch receiver and punt returner, will carry on with sensational TE prospect Kyle Rudolph, a monster who will only get better. RB Armando Allen is running with much more power and determination this season to go with his wiggle and speed. The Spartans’ WR BJ Cunningham almost single-handedly kept MSU in the game in the second half and displays great run-after-catch potential and toughness.