Notre Dame Football: Preview of Week 2 at Michigan

Notre Dame (0-1) at Michigan (1-0)

Series Record:   Michigan Leads (22-15-1)

Last Time:  Denard Robinson’s 2-yard TD run with 27 seconds left gave Michigan a 28-24 win.

Michigan Offense:

In a game shortened by weather to three quarters, Michigan romped over Western Michigan 34-10.  The biggest surprise was the rather pedestrian stats of Denard Robinson.   Robinson accounted for 144 total yards and just 46 on the ground.   Brady Hoke promised a new commitment to the running game and it showed as the Wolverines piled up 190 yards on just 26 carries.  Many analysts have discussed the adjustment period that Denard Robinson would have to undergo early as he adjusts to a new offense that allows much less freedom for the quarterback. 

Notre Dame Defense:

The Irish defense was the lone bright spot in Saturday’s loss to South Florida.  Notre Dame held South Florida to just 254 total yards and was able to control, for the most part, a similar athlete to Denard Robinson in B.J. Daniels.   On the negative side, the defense did not force a turnover and was flagged for several critical penalties on the day.

Edge-Notre Dame:

I’m going to give a slight edge to Notre Dame.  Although they didn’t win on Saturday, the Irish defense was pretty stout the entire day.  During the first half, the defense came up with critical stops to hold South Florida to field goals.  In the second half, the Irish defense allowed only one touchdown and consistently got the ball back for the offense.  By only giving up 16 points on defense you can’t help but feel the Irish defense deserved a better fate.  Finally, a new offense is always difficult for any quarterback, particularly when it does not suit their strengths.  Dayne Crist anyone?  This is also the case with Denard Robinson and Michigan’s new offensive system.

Notre Dame Offense:

Notre Dame committed five turnovers, three in the red zone and two on their half of the 50-yard line.  Four turnovers either cost them points or directly led to South Florida scores.  At the same time the Irish had over 500 yards of total offense.  I think they will move the ball on Michigan but the question, as always, is…Can you finish?

Michigan Defense:

Western Michigan nearly out-gained Michigan and had close to 300 yards offense in just three quarters of a football game.  In addition, they also possessed the ball for nearly seven more minutes than Michigan.  So what hurt them?  Well, like Notre Dame they also had multiple turnovers (three), two of which were returned for touchdowns.  The Michigan secondary also allowed Jordan White to catch 12 balls for 120 yards.

EDGE-EVEN:

I don’t think Michigan has improved greatly on defense.  As a result, I think the Irish will move the ball and have opportunities to score.  Nevertheless, after last week’s debacle, until this offense rights itself I cannot give them the edge here.

Special Teams:

Notre Dame’s kicking game and return game were terrible last week.  Ben Turk had a poor day punting and David Ruffer missed a crucial 30-yard field goal in what ended up a three point loss.  In addition, Theo Riddick was not only ineffective but was a downright liability in the return game.  Michigan had an extra point blocked and their return game seemed average at best.

EDGE-MICHIGAN:

Although Michigan did not distinguish itself in the special teams, it was certainly much better than Notre Dame.

Intangibles:

Notre Dame has dropped the last two games to Michigan with less than 30 seconds remaining.  This is also Brady Hoke’s first big game and the first night game in Michigan history.  The “Big House” will be rocking and rolling and a good start by Michigan or bad start by Notre Dame could make for a difficult and frenzied environment.  It is critical that the Irish start well.  One thing the Irish may be able to lean on is Brian Kelly as he has coached in far bigger games at this stage of his career than Brady Hoke.

EDGE-MICHIGAN:

It is a new era in Michigan and with a “Michigan Man” finally at the helm, fans will be patient giving Hoke time to turn it around.  On the other hand, enormous pressure follows the Irish to Ann Arbor, a loss puts you at 0-2 and basically ends your season.  All the pressure falls on Notre Dame in this one.

Final Analysis:

I think fans will find out a great deal about the Irish this week, particularly Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees.  Can Kelly get the Irish to gather themselves after such a disappointing loss?  In the wake of the Dayne Crist disaster, the pressure of the season falls squarely on Tommy Rees.  Expectations are still high from the Notre Dame fanbase and Rees will likely face more pressure this week than he has yet to face in South Bend.   Although the Irish appear more talented than Michigan, I think they win this game because they have no choice.  A loss here would be as catastrophic as any in the Weis era. 

Notre Dame 26, Michigan 20