What PFF Grades Say About Michigan State Football Defense Vs Notre Dame

Michigan State football suffered the first loss of the Pat Fitzgerald era on Saturday, bowing 27-10 to Notre Dame. The Spartans came in as four touchdown underdogs, but were able to stand toe-to-toe with the Fighting Irish for the majority of the contest.

The defense had a solid game, although their inability to get off the field cost the Spartans during a drive that took up the majority of the third quarter, and then a second drive that ate up the last 5 minutes of the final quarter.

Overall, it was a solid effort, though defensive lapses allowed Micah Gilbert to run free with 170 receiving yards, the most the Irish have had since 2019 in a game.

Here is who helped the defensive effort, and who PFF decided did not hold their standard.

Top Six Grades on Michigan State Football Defense, Week Three

• DT Ben Roberts: 78.9
• LB Caleb Wheatland: 78.9
• LB Brady Pretzlaff: 76.4
• LB Cam Stodghill: 75.6
• LB Jordan Hall: 75.2
• S Devin Vaught: 75.2

Another week where the fifth spot had two players tied for grades, so a bonus player.

Overall, in a shocking development, four of the top six players on Michigan State football’s defense are linebackers. The linebackers are taught by Max Bullough, who came over from Notre Dame in the offseason. It can be hypothesized that Bullough knew how to get his linebackers ready to play the Irish offense.

Roberts took advantage of the extra attention to DT Eli Coenen, who has had an electric start with the Spartans. The senior defensive tackle was able to record two pressures on CJ Carr alongside a run stuff on the night.

Wheatland replaced Pretzlaff after the latter was injured, and those two combined for an extremely strong day. The linebackers were buzzing and giving the tight ends and halfbacks little-to-no yards after catch.

Hall being “low” at no. 5 is a surprise. The senior linebacker played out of his mind, with a tackle on each of the first four running back rushes and finishing with 11 tackles. He made stop after stop, including a clutch stop on third down that forced a Notre Dame field goal attempt that was missed.

Vaught rebounded from biting on a play action to provide pass backup on the first play of the game to have a strong game. Vaught has quietly been one of the better defenders on the Spartans this season, perhaps even better than captain Nikai Martinez in the secondary.

Bottom Five Grades on Michigan State Football Defense, Week Three

• DT Eli Coenen: 59.7
• EDGE Kenny Soares Jr.: 58.5
• EDGE Anelu Lafaele: 57.5
• DE Isaac Smith: 55.7
• CB Charles Brantley: 39.6

It was a rough outing for the defensive line and secondary on Saturday.

The defensive line allowed Notre Dame to rush for 161 yards. Soares and Coenen combined for four missed tackles, tanking their score. Additionally, Soares had play that appeared to be a sack, but ultimately Carr was never down, and it is likely that the sack would have likely bumped him out of the bottom five.

Coenen faced extra attention after his hot start, and missed a tackle while failing to rise to the occasion.

Lafaele and Smith each graded as the bottom two run defenders on the team, which killed their grade. The Spartans were unable to record a timely stop during the contest, with short throws and rushes keeping drives alive. Smith being this low is surprising, with the Texas Tech transfer being the only Spartan with a sack on Saturday.

Brantley did not have a good night, to say the least. On a Devin Vaught interception, Brantley was whistled for a defensive pass interference, negating the momentum-flipping play. He also was beat in coverage for a first down, and was effectively benched for Tyran Chappell, until the latter got injured, drawing Brantley out.

Brantley’s 39.6 score is the lowest for a Spartan defender since, well, Charles Brantley’s PFF grade against Toledo in the 2026 opener, which was a 29.5. It has not been an easy return to East Lansing for Brantley at the quarter-season mark.