Michigan vs. Notre Dame: Game Grades for Wolverines and Fighting Irish

Notre Dame showed no mercy during its final scheduled meeting with Michigan, handing its familiar foe a 31-0 shelling Saturday night in South Bend. 

During the first half, Michigan showed signs that it would compete and mark the ending of an era with a spirited performance. That wasn't the case during the second half, which was dominated by the No. 16-ranked Irish in every shape, form and fashion imaginable. 

Get the complete box score at NCAA.com. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	C+	D
Run Offense	C-	D+
Pass Defense	C	F (Everett Golson/WRs cruised with ease)
Run Defense	C+	C
Special Teams	F (Matt Wile missed two FGs)	D-
Coaching	C- (Michigan looked uninspired)	D+

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	C+	A
Run Offense	C	B
Pass Defense	C	B+ (allowed 100-yard WR)
Run Defense	C+	A- (held UM to 96 yards)
Special Teams	B	A (Kyle Brindza's punt/pin)
Coaching	B	B+

Pass Offense

UM: Pass offense? Well, in the first half, it appeared that Devin Gardner and Devin Funchess would again be the heroes of the day. They connected for a quick three strikes before halftime but were capped in the second. 

Gardner finished with 188 yards. 

Funchess finished with 106. 

ND: Everett Golson completed 12 of his first 16 passes before really sinking his teeth into Michigan's uncharacteristically lethargic secondary. And to think, the DBs were supposed to be a strength for the Wolverines, who were embarrassed in front of 80,000 (and Touchdown Jesus). 

Golson finished with 225 yards and three touchdowns. 

Run Offense

UM: Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith's slow starts are due to a faulty O-line that refuses to live up to its "improved" reputation. Neither sophomore stood out Saturday. They combined for 31 yards in the first half. 

ND: The Irish didn't have to run the ball much. But when they did, Cam McDaniel (who scored a TD in the first half), Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston made them count. Their carries sustained drives and frustrated the Wolverines' D-line, which bent but didn't snap in half. 

Pass Defense

UM: It was pretty much nonexistent, especially in the second half. Again, the trouncing at the hands of the Irish was a tale of two halves: one competitive, one not so much. It's going to be a long week for Michigan's players and coaches...a really long week. 

Notre Dame had 217 passing yards by the beginning of the fourth quarter.

ND: Considering that the Funchess Show was put on hold, the Irish did pretty well. Other receivers had catches, such as Jehu Chesson, who had a pair of nice grabs, but not one did significant damage—not even Funchess, who cracked 100 yards early in the fourth quarter. 

Run Defense

UM: Notre Dame's Cam McDaniel exposed Michigan's weakness, defending the run up the middle. Well, that's one weakness. Although the Irish didn't put up crazy stats in the rushing column, they were effective and did what they wanted on the ground. 

And that was to set up Golson's pass, which was the obvious key to Notre Dame's win. 

ND: Brian VanGorder's defense was relentless. Because of its effort, it led the way for the team's first shutout of Michigan, per NBC. 

Special Teams

UM: Matt Wile missed two field goals in the first half. One of them, the latter 48-yard attempt, was due to bad footing. 

ND: Job completed. 

Coaching

UM: Well, I wasn't on the sidelines (didn't even make the trip to South Bend, actually), so I can't speak about the communication/game-planning in the trenches. But the fact that Michigan didn't show up says a lot about preparation. I'm not saying Michigan didn't prepare, because I know it did. But it didn't prepare enough. 

That's on everyone, all the way up to Hoke and down to the trainers. Win together, lose together. 

ND: I'd say Brian Kelly's game plan worked well. He let Golson dictate the pace. Considering the outcome, that was the correct choice. 

Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81