Notre Dame Football: Grading All 22 Starters from the Michigan Game

Regardless of how sloppy Notre Dame's performance was on Saturday night against Michigan, the bottom line is that the number in the loss column for the Fighting Irish remains zero.

The 13-6 win was a bit more bumpy than the previous week's 20-3 win at Michigan State, but Notre Dame was able to exorcise three years of demons against the Wolverines.

The defense was again the story, holding a second straight opponent without a touchdown. Denard Robinson helped the Irish's cause, throwing four first-half interceptions. Offensively, Everett Golson was unable to finish the game for the second time in three weeks, as Tommy Rees engineered the team's only touchdown drive.

We've graded each of Notre Dame's 22 starters from Saturday's victory, with the team's two No. 5s bookending the report card.

Everett Golson

Grade: D

The sophomore's night lasted less than a half, as two interceptions forced head coach Brian Kelly to call on veteran Tommy Rees. He connected on just three of his eight passes, the only significant completion coming on a 16-yard throw to Davaris Daniels in which Daniels had to reach behind his body to catch the errant pass.

Kelly said after the game that the stage might have been a bit too big for Golson.

However, Golson has proven he's capable of playing at the highest level, so this is a major setback in his development. He is expected to remain the starter when the team returns to the field on Oct. 6 following a bye week, but the Irish again face a quarterback controversy, whether Kelly will admit it or not.

Theo Riddick

Grade: B+

Riddick shared carries with Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III, but finished as the Irish's leading rusher and receiver with 52 yards on the ground and 32 through the air. He helped set up the team's lone touchdown with a catch over the middle to move the Irish to the Michigan 1-yard line.

The senior, who defeated Michigan for the first time in his career after losing his first three games against the Wolverines, also helped close the game out with some strong running on the team's final drive that killed the final 3:27 on the clock.

T.J. Jones

Grade: B+

It was quality over quantity for Jones, who although catching just two passes, made the most of his limited opportunities.

Both of his catches helped set up Notre Dame scores, including its only touchdown, which was set up by a 24-yard catch by Jones along the sideline.

There were only 11 completions on the night, so there was little opportunity for Jones or any receivers to compile big numbers on the stat sheet, but the junior made two key catches in a game where offensive effectiveness was minimal.

Robby Toma

Grade: C

Toma was brilliant in the win over Michigan State, but was not targeted at all against Michigan, with much of the passing game focused on T.J. Jones, Theo Riddick and Davaris Daniels.

This shouldn't be taken as a model for the rest of the season. Toma's role in the offense will return to what it was in previous weeks, as he provides a safety valve for Everett Golson in the middle of the field.

Tyler Eifert

Grade: B

It was a quiet night for the preseason All-American, but he made his only catch at the biggest time, a game-clinching 38-yard reception with just over two minutes to play. He also drew a pass interference penalty that helped set up the team's first touchdown.

Eifert's blocking continues to improve, as he helped the Irish produce two long drives late in the game to ice the victory. After going almost two full games without a catch, Eifert couldn't help but smile after his lone reception on Saturday night.

Troy Niklas

Grade: B-

Niklas did not make a catch on Saturday night, but his blocking has allowed him to maintain the primary No. 2 tight end role ahead of sophomore Ben Koyack.

His lone target came early in the game on a third down pass that Niklas could not haul in for a touchdown. His role in the offense will continue to grow as opponents key on Tyler Eifert.

For someone that was playing linebacker just nine months ago, his progress has been impressive.

Offensive Line

Zack Martin/Christian Lombard: C+

Chris Watt/Braxston Cave/Mike Golic Jr.: B-

The Irish running game again struggled, as Michigan dared Everett Golson and Tommy Rees to beat them through the air. Both Martin and Lombard were called for holding penalties on the same play, but a Golson interception made these moot points.

The interior linemen weren't able to control the trenches, but did play their best late in the game when the Irish needed some tough yardage to close the game out. Golic Jr. continues to struggle with consistency, but had a nice pull block on the game-clinching drive.

Their next big test will come in three weeks against a Stanford front that tormented USC's Matt Barkley in the Cardinal's upset win.

Defensive Line

Stephon Tuitt: A-

Louis Nix/Kapron Lewis-Moore: B+

Facing Denard Robinson is a challenge for any defensive front, but the Irish once again proved why they have become an elite defense, keeping the Wolverines out of the end zone after allowing them to score four touchdowns in the final 15 minutes of last year's meeting.

Tuitt was tremendous again, providing a sack and a tackle for loss. Nix was limited in the second half by a shoulder injury, but gutted out a quality performance. Lewis-Moore led all defensive linemen with six tackles.

Outside Linebackers

Prince Shembo/Danny Spond: A-

After returning from injury last week against Michigan State, Spond was arguably the most surprising performer in just his second game of the season on Saturday night. He forced a Denard Robinson fumble in the third quarter that ended a promising Wolverines drive. His seven tackles were third on the team.

Shembo continues to flourish at his new position, matching Stephon Tuitt with a sack and a tackle for loss. He played an inspired game, aided by the fact that he was convinced Michigan had stolen his bike seat (5:00 mark) earlier in the week.

Inside Linebackers

Manti Te'o: A

Dan Fox: B+

There is little more that needs to be said about Te'o.

The Irish middle linebacker helped contain Denard Robinson with two interceptions and eight tackles on a night in which many of the 80,795 fans packed into Notre Dame Stadium honored him by wearing leis in tribute to his girlfriend and grandmother, who both passed away prior to the Michigan State game.

Fox again shared duties with Carlo Calabrese at the WILL linebacker spot, finishing with four tackles and a hurry of Robinson that helped end a Michigan drive in Irish territory.

Cornerbacks

Bennett Jackson: A-

KeiVarae Russell: B+

Other than a silly 15-yard personal foul penalty on the final play of the first half, Jackson was brilliant on Saturday night. He led the team with nine tackles, a difficult accomplishment when playing with Manti Te'o, and also intercepted Denard Robinson. Jackson has become the reliable No. 1 cornerback that the team desperately needed with its depth issues in the secondary.

Russell was picked on at times in the first half, but settled down and played his best game to date.

He recorded his first career interception as well (the same play as Jackson's penalty). The freshman has a long way to go, but he's shown the natural ability and feel for the position to see why he earned the starting job so quickly. 

Safeties

Zeke Motta: A-

Matthias Farley: B

With Jamoris' Slaughter's season over, the role of leader of the secondary has fallen to Motta. He passed his first test with flying colors, helping hold Michigan to 138 yards passing. In addition to his six tackles, Motta deflected a pass that was ultimately intercepted by Manti Te'o.

Farley had a fairly quiet night from a statistical perspective with just two tackles, but did not have any coverage breakdowns or penalties. In his first start, that was all the Irish needed from the sophomore.