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

On Saturday, Michigan State football left the friendly confines of Spartan Stadium for the first time all season. They took on Notre Dame in a rivalry renewed for the first time in 9 seasons.

Ultimately, the Spartans could not capitalize on their opportunities, falling to Notre Dame 27-10. MSU was shut out in the second half to let the Irish pull away.

Here is what PFF said for who helped the offense, and who hurt it.

Top Five Grades on Michigan State Football Offense, Week Three

• QB Cam Fancher: 83.8
• OT Ben Murawski: 73.0
• WR Rod Bullard Jr.: 69.4
• OT Rakeem Johnson: 69.1
• TE Kai Rios: 69.1

The Spartans were led by red zone quarterback Cam Fancher, who ultimately should have finished with two touchdowns on the day. Fancher provided a spark for the Spartans with their multiple offense. He rushed the ball in for the only touchdown, and had a pass dropped in the end zone when the Spartans looked to pull ahead.

The offensive line had a rough night keeping Alessio Milivojevic up once MSU got stuck in passing situations, but Murawski and Johnson, the top two tackles on the depth chart, played strong. Both had strong pushes to make holes in the run game when the Spartans were able to utilize it.

Bullard was the only receiver to create much separation on the night, and his two catches were top among the position room. His top play that spiked his grade was a 60-yard catch where he burnt his corner and held onto the ball when laying out for it.

Rios saw limited action, only playing in a handful of snaps, but provided one catch for nine yards which inflated his grade to tie for the fourth highest among the Spartan offense.

Bottom Five Grades on Michigan State Football Offense, Week Three

• WR Bryson Williams: 55.9
• WR Chrishon McCray: 55.7
• TE Brennan Parachek: 54.5
• RB Kenneth Williams: 39.1
• QB Alessio Milivojevic: 38.9

The receiver room, as mentioned above, failed to create much separation all night. As a result, Bryson Williams and McCray each fell into this category with their lack of separation when they got to run routes.

Parachek saw 15 less snaps than Jayden Savoury due to the latter’s ability to make space. His run block grade was amongst the top five on the team, but his pass game grade was in the bottom five, sinking his score.

Kenneth Williams had a unique package set, and one play resulted in him coming wide open in the end zone. Williams dropped the ball, sinking his grade. Another item sinking his grade was a play where he went out for a route and was blatantly held without a penalty. On limited snap counts like the Nebraska transfer has, that sinks a grade.

Milivojevic had a rocky outing with two interceptions, multiple balls deflected, and taking four sacks. However, he showed some signs of progress when compared to facing elite defenses like Penn State in 2025. That said, it was not a performance on the same level as his 2025 Iowa outing. The quarterback said in his post-game press conference that he had to be better and execute better to make the offense work, especially getting the ball out faster. It appears PFF agrees.