Top 25: No. 20 Notre Dame 20, No. 10 Michigan State 3

By Larry Lage The Associated Press

Published: September 15, 2012 9:50 pm
Top 25 football • Notre Dame beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in seven years.
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

EAST LANSING, Mich. • Everett Golson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score to help No. 20 Notre Dame beat No. 10 Michigan State 20-3 on Saturday night.

The Fighting Irish (3-0) snapped a six-game losing streak against ranked teams and beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in seven years to give Brian Kelly a signature win in his third season.

The Spartans (2-1) had won 15 straight at home. The streak included a win over the Irish in 2010 on a fake field goal in overtime that preceded coach Mark Dantonio having a heart attack.

Notre Dame is off to its best start since 2002, when Tyrone Willingham won his first eight games as its coach. The Irish opened 0-2 last year and 1-3 the season before in Kelly's debut before bouncing back to finish with eight wins. —

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