Seriously, what time do both teams play?
(#11) Michigan took (#2) Notre Dame to school on its home turf and this game wasn’t even as close as the 47-21 drubbing that the Wolverines laid on the Irish today.
In my preview of this game I thought that it was a foregone conclusion that since Notre Dame actually played teams its first two weeks of the season, that the Irish were more mentally and physically prepared to play in this game than Michigan was.
Well, I also said Darius Walker would be the difference maker in this game and Walker finished with 10 carries for about 10 feet.
Good call Stalter.
All of that talk about ND playing more meaningful games before squaring off against the Wolverines meant nothing once Prescott Burgess intercepted Brady Quinn’s second attempt of the game and took it 32 yards for a touchdown.
In just seven seconds, Burgess (who picked off Quinn twice in the game) and U of M took the wind out of Notre Dame and then stepped on its throat by opening up the playbook and attacking the Irish weakness all day: their secondary.
Wolverines’ offensive coordinator Mike DeBord called a masterful game by giving quarterback Chad Henne full reigns to attack Notre Dame through the air and that allowed Henne to throw for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Henne hooked up with receiver Mario Manningham four times for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Terrail Lambert’s jock strap is still laying out on the field after Manningham completely fooled him on an out and up for Manningham’s first score.
Mike Hart carried the load for Michigan with 31 carries for 120 yards and put the game away with great ball security in the second half.
As great as some of the individual performances were, the key for Michigan in this game was doing something it rarely ever does, however – they were the aggressors when they had the lead. Common knowledge for anybody who follows the Wolverines is that when Michigan gets up on an opponent, they run right, run left, throw a quick slant and quickly get off the field to punt the ball. On defense, they fall back into a prevent and let the other team slowly build back momentum before Michigan either crumbles and blows its lead or holds on for a close-to-the-vest victory.
The Wolverines defense pressured Quinn into four turnovers and made the Heisman hopeful look more like he should be playing on Friday nights, not Sundays.
Nobody has been talking about Michigan as a serious threat – that changed at about 4:30pm Eastern when the Wolverines 34-14 in just one half of football against the formerly #2 ranked team in the nation.
