EAST LANSING, Mich. _ It took all of preseason camp for DeShone Kizer to be named Notre Dame's starting quarterback.
It took the college football world one night to realize how explosive the Fighting Irish offense is with him under center.
The task for No. 8 Michigan State's defense begins with stopping Kizer. But to head to South Bend, Ind., and knock off 18th-ranked Notre Dame, the Spartans realize they also must deal with a team full of playmakers that can put up a lot of points.
"Overall, their offense is extremely athletic and they've got a lot of players," MSU senior linebacker Riley Bullough said Tuesday. "Kizer, he's an athletic guy. He can throw the ball, but he can also take it and run. So to combat that, you've got to be fundamentally sound on defense. Everyone's got to do their job. They've got to do it every single play for the entire game."
Notre Dame enters Saturday's game against MSU averaging 444 yards per game. The Irish (1-1) lost a 50-47 shootout to Texas on Sept. 4 in which Kizer seized the quarterback job from Malik Zaire with a dynamic performance with his arm and his legs. Kizer passed for 215 yards and five touchdowns in that game and ran for 77 yards and another score.
Through two games, including Saturday's 39-10 win over Nevada, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior from Toledo ranks fifth in the NCAA in passing efficiency (195.9), sixth in TD passes (seven) and 15th with a 71.4 percent completion percentage. He has completed 30 of 42 passes for 371 yards and has rushed for 112 yards.
"I think Kizer gives you that guy that can stay in the pocket and be a traditional-type passer, but at the same time can create," MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. "And you get a quarterback like that doing those type of things, very dangerous. Has good rhythm to his throws, gets out of trouble, big, physical-type guy."
Junior linebacker Chris Frey, who went to a number of football camps with Kizer during their high school days in Ohio, compared the Notre Dame QB to former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The Spartans struggled to contain the Heisman Trophy winner in their 2014 meeting, with Mariota throwing for 318 yards and three scores and escaping pressure for 42 rushing yards in the 46-27 win.
"We can't be too aggressive because he can get out of the pocket," Frey said of Kizer. "He's a very good runner. We have to be smart in what we do and be in our gaps and not be too aggressive, because he can slither out."
Notre Dame's offense certainly isn't a one-man show. The Irish have a pair of running backs _ sophomore Josh Adams and senior Tarean Folston _ who have combined for 264 yards.
Kizer's top targets have been sophomores Equanimeous St. Brown (11 catches, 160 yards, TD), and C.J. Sanders (eight catches, 101 yards, two TDs). Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said senior Torii Hunter Jr. is expected to return after missing the Nevada game with a concussion he suffered near the end of the loss to Texas.
"Kizer's going to throw it up there. He has a lot of threats," MSU safety Demetrious Cox said. "All those guys that stretch the field, made explosive plays. So we'll have to be on our A-game, make 50-50 plays on the ball."
The Spartans didn't unveil a lot defensively during their 28-13 win over Furman, though their Football Championship Subdivision opponent had little trouble moving the ball. MSU allowed 87 yards rushing and 139 passing yards to the Paladins, but it also struggled to generate much of a pass rush.
