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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- Michigan State continues to be Bob Davie's worst nightmare. For the second straight year, Michigan State used a big play late in the game to defeat No. 23 Notre Dame as Ryan Van Dyke tossed a 53-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Rogers with 7:51 remaining to give the Spartans a 17-10 victory. Michigan State prevailed despite committing 14 penalties for 101 yards. Last season, Jeff Smoker threw a 68-yard TD pass to Herb Haygood on 4th-and-10 with 1:48 left to lift the Spartans to a 27-21 win at East Lansing. "This is the best I've ever felt," Van Dyke said. "I am speechless. I am so happy we were able to overcome all the penalties and distractions. It showed a lot of character on our team's part." Michigan State (1-1) joined Southern California as the only teams to win five straight against Notre Dame, all with Davie as coach. USC won five in a row over the Irish from 1987 to 1992. The Spartans also have won three in a row at Notre Dame Stadium. The only other school to do that was Purdue, which reeled off five straight in South Bend from 1954-1962. "I love coming up here and playing," Michigan State senior tailback Little John Flowers said. "This was my last time here, but it was a great feeling to come over here two times and win." The Fighting Irish are off to just their fourth 0-2 start since 1900 and their first since 1986, Lou Holtz's first season at Notre Dame. Davie is 0-5 against the Spartans. "We got ourselves in this hole," Davie said. "We have to dig ourselves out of this hole. I still believe in this football team. We're a talented football team, but we play a lot of talented teams. This is the way it's going to be every week." Cornerback Vontez Duff appeared to have Rogers stopped after a 10-yard gain, but he broke the tackle and took it the distance, diving into the end zone. "They came with an all-out blitz," Rogers said. "I kind of spun out and saw open grass. I just just trying to make sure I wouldn't get stripped from behind." "I was in football position, but I just didn't wrap up," Duff added. "I didn't make the tackle. It's all about making plays and I didn't make that play." On the previous play, cornerback Clifford Jefferson appeared to have an interception, but the ball went right through his hands. The Fighting Irish tried to rally, driving to the Michigan State 17 with just over four minutes remaining. But Notre Dame could not execute a faked field goal on 4th-and-6 as kicker Nicholas Setta was stopped at the line of scrimmage by defensive end Mike Labinjo. Michigan State sealed the win when cornerback Broderick Nelson intercepted a deflected pass and returned it inside Notre Dame's 10 with under two minutes remaining. "Really a difficult loss," Davie said. "I thought our players played hard. I thought we competed. It was just a case of not executing." With Notre Dame out of timeouts, the Spartans elected to kill the clock rather than try to score another touchdown. "We told our guys to keep their mouths shut and their emotions inside," Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said. "I know how badly they wanted to beat this team again, but I told them to take those emotions and use them on the field." The Irish used a conservative game plan and sputtered on offense as special teams set up their only touchdown. Matt Lovecchio tossed a six-yard TD pass to Javin Hunter to tie the contest, 10-10, with 38 seconds remaining in the first half following a 54-yard punt return by Julius Jones. Saturday's game was delayed several minutes following Rogers' touchdown as Michigan State guard Paul Harker suffered an apparent seizure on the bench. Paramedics and the cardiac unit helped carry Harker off the field in a stretcher, but the 300-pound junior was breathing as he was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in South Bend. Notre Dame flanker Arnaz Battle suffered a broken fibula while covering a punt in the first half and could be lost for the season. After Michigan State's David Schaefer and Setta traded field goals, the Spartans grabbed a 10-3 lead on Van Dyke's six-yard TD pass to Chris Baker. Van Dyke completed 9-of-15 for 149 yards. He split time with Smoker, who was 5-of-10 for 59 yards. Tony Fisher rushed for 103 yards on 17 carries for Notre Dame, but Lovecchio passed for only 119 yards, completing 12-of-22. Notre Dame's biggest play from scrimmage was a 17-yard pass to Tom Lopienski in the fourth quarter. "Unfortunately, like the past two years, it was one play that killed us," Fisher said. Van Dyke kept the winning drive alive with an 18-yard toss to Rogers on 3rd-and-9 from the 31. Three players later, the pair hooked up for the touchdown.
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