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Ringer, Michigan State wear down Notre Dame

Sep 21, 2008 - 1:37 AM EAST LANSING, Michigan (Ticker) -- Michigan State's game plan was basic - get the ball into Javon Ringer's hands as much as possible.

Notre Dame could not stop the senior running back, who rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns Saturday to lead the Spartans to a 23-7 victory over the Fighting Irish.

Ringer was a workhorse, carrying 39 times to take over the rushing lead in the Football Championship Subdivision with 699 yards in four games. He also leads the FBS with 11 touchdowns.

"I can do nothing without these guys carrying the weight for me," said Ringer, referring to the offensive line. "It was a great team win. We were very, very dominant up front on both sides of the ball."

Michigan State also took advantage of three critical Notre Dame turnovers to snap a three-game home losing streak to the Fighting Irish (2-1). Notre Dame was seeking its first 3-0 start since 2002.

Spartans coach Mark Dantonio doesn't seem too concerned about wearing down Ringer heading into the start of Big Ten Conference play, as he has carried 82 times in the last two weeks.

Last week, Ringer rushed for 282 yards on 43 attempts in a 17-0 win over Florida Atlantic.

"You want to feature your best player, and right now our best player is our tailback," Dantonio said. "He's going to get touches."

Ringer sounded like he was ready for another 39 carries.

"My body, on a scale of one to 10, I would probably give it about an eight," he said. "I really wasn't taking too much punishment, so all credit goes to the offensive line. So far, I feel pretty good."

Ringer spent the afternoon punishing Notre Dame.

"What happens is that they can give him the ball 39 times in a game - and you can hit him and hit him and hit him and he just keeps on coming," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said. "I think that I learned a long time ago that one attribute that great players have is stamina, and he obviously has great stamina."

In its last visit to East Lansing two years ago, Notre Dame rallied from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the Spartans, 40-37.

After sputtering for three quarters Saturday, it appeared the Fighting Irish could be in position for another dramatic win over Michigan State.

Notre Dame pulled within 13-7 when Michael Floyd reached over the shoulder of cornerback Johnny Adams for a 26-yard TD reception from Jimmy Clausen just nine seconds into the fourth period.

But the Irish could not overcame their mistakes, a role reversal from last week, when they took advantage of six turnovers to defeat Michigan, 35-17.

Clausen threw two interceptions, and both passes were picked off by safety Otis Wiley.

The first came in the end zone after Notre Dame had reached Michigan State's 24 midway through the first quarter, and the second was even more costly. It was at Notre Dame's 22-yard line and set up the first of Ringer's two 1-yard TD runs that gave the Spartans a 10-0 lead with 3:28 left in the first half.

"We want to get the ball back, get a three-and-out or get a turnover and get it right back to (Ringer)," Wiley said. "When he has the ball, he makes plays and gets about three or four yards every time he touches it."

After Notre Dame gained just 79 yards in the first half, Clausen engineered an impressive drive on the Irish's first possession of the third quarter, but they came up empty as Floyd fumbled at the 14-yard line while battling for a first down.

The fumble led to the second of Brett Swenson's three field goals, a 26-yarder that made it 13-0 with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the third quarter.

After Floyd's TD, Notre Dame had momentum, but it did not get back the ball until Swenson tacked on a 23-yard field goal.

Notre Dame's hopes ended when Brandon Walker missed a 41-yard field goal. Ringer iced it with a 63-yard burst, setting up his second short TD run with just over two minutes left.