The Battle for the Megaphone is back, so let’s look back at the rivalry’s history

For more than 100 years, dating back to 1897 and continuing through 2017, Notre Dame and Michigan State met regularly. The Fighting Irish and Spartans developed a rivalry that birthed the Megaphone Trophy in 1949.

The teams played for that trophy nearly every year up until the mid 2010s. The series took a two year break in 2014 and 2015 before returning in 2016 and 2017. Since 2017, however, the teams have not met and the trophy has resided in South Bend.

On Saturday, the rivalry will be renewed as the No. 3 Fighting Irish welcome Michigan State back to Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame is the heavy favorite as it looks to keep the trophy in the state of Indiana.

Let’s look back at a few memorable games from this rivalry before it gets renewed on Saturday

2017: Notre Dame 38, Michigan State 18

The last time this rivalry was played was in 2017 at Spartan Stadium and it saw Notre Dame cruise to a win.

The Fighting Irish defense forced three turnovers, highlighted by a 59-yard pick-six from Julian Love. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush went 14-for-20 passing for 173 yards and a touchdown to Equanimeous St. Brown.

That win moved Notre Dame to 3-1 and brought the megaphone back to South Bend.

2016: No. 12 Michigan State 36, No. 18 Notre Dame 28

With a loss already under their belt, the Fighting Irish looked to avoid two defeats in three weeks against a good Michigan State team. Notre Dame struck first before Michigan State scored the next 36 points. Two late touchdowns from Notre Dame made it interesting in the end, but went three-and-out with 3:30 to play and never got the ball back.

Quarterback Deshone Kizer threw for more than 300 yards, but three Fighting Irish turnovers were too much to overcome. Notre Dame also averaged just 2.3 yards per rush on 25 carries as Michigan State shut down the ground game. Michigan State running back Gerald Holmes rushed for 100 yards and two score against the Fighting Irish defense.

Notre Dame finished just 4-8 that season, its first losing mark since 2007 and also its last losing season to date. Michigan State fell off a cliff after that win, losing its next seven games and finishing 3-9. The Spartan win did snap a three-game win streak in the series for Notre Dame.

2005: Michigan State 44, No. 10 Notre Dame 41 OT

A 2005 thriller saw the most points put up in series history between the two teams and led to a Spartan upset. The Fighting Irish opened 2005 with two straight wins against ranked opponents and welcomed in the unranked Spartans, looking to remain unbeaten.

Notre Dame trailed by as much as 21 points and by two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter. The Fighting Irish rallied and tied the game with 2:31 left to force overtime. The Spartans pulled out the win with a touchdown after holding Notre Dame to a field goal.

Michigan State players planted their flag at midfield after the game, sparking plenty of controversy. Antics aside, the offensive numbers from this game were gaudy.

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn threw for 487 yards and five touchdowns. Future Major League Baseball pitcher Jeff Samardzija recorded three of those touchdown receptions while Maurice Stovell racked up 176 receiving yards. Ultimately, it was the Spartans coming away with the megaphone.

1966: No. 1 Notre Dame 10, No. 2 Michigan State 10

Dubbed “The Game of the Century,” the 1966 rendition of the battle for the megaphone was filled with injuries and controversy. The late-season matchup was deemed as the national championship with both teams unbeaten. Michigan State was the reigning national champion and hosted the game.

The Fighting Irish played without starting quarterback Terry Hanratty for nearly the whole game after he was taken out with an injury in the first quarter. Starting running back Nick Eddy missed the whole game after getting injured by slipping on ice.

The game was tied at 10 in the fourth quarter and stayed that way until time expired. Head coach Ara Parseghian drew plenty of criticism after he ran the ball five times in the final 90 seconds, seemingly settling for a tie.

The schools both finished 9-0-1 and split the MacArthur Bowl, which is what signified the national champion at the time.