Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons the Irish will beat Michigan State

3. The turnover battle favors the Irish

One of the most concerning aspects of Michigan State’s offense has been their tendency to put the ball on the ground. Against Bowling Green, the Spartan offense put the ball on the ground four times, recovering only one. They fumbled the ball three times more against Western Michigan but were fortunate enough to recover two of those.

The Spartans have also struggled in forcing turnovers to this point, recording only one interception while failing to register even one forced fumble. Notre Dame’s defense has told another story, taking the ball away six times in only one game more than Michigan State. While the Irish offense has turned the ball over five times themselves, the defense has so far covered for their mishaps. Look for it to be more of the same as the Irish take it to the Spartans Saturday.

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Again, it’s tough to tell just what level this Spartan offense is on due to limited sample size. They have played only two games this season against opponents with a combined 1-5 record. If these teams have been able to take advantage of a turnover-happy Spartan offense, how much more-so will the Irish?

While turnovers are sometimes a result of game flow, there is something to be noted about Michigan’s State’s inability to hold onto the football. Will the Irish be able to jump on this or will head coach Mark Dantonio have his team ready to play solid possession football? This is just one of many questions college football fans are looking forward to seeing answered come Saturday.