Notre Dame Football: 5 Things to Watch for at Michigan in Week 2

It’s always special when you have two storied programs like Michigan and Notre Dame playing each other. What’s even more exciting is that this is the first night game in the storied history of The Big House.

The atmosphere will be crazy, and all eyes will be on the Irish and head coach Brian Kelly after last week's dismal effort against South Florida. 

New head coach Brady Hoke is also looking to inject life back into Michigan. The Wolverines have been hot on the recruiting trail, and the coaching staff is hoping for equal amounts of success on the gridiron.

I, like many others, feel Hoke is the perfect fit in Michigan, and with the Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, these two teams will have great games for years to come. The game will be played at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, and in prime time, the Irish will look to prove that South Florida was a fluke.

The Irish Must Contain Denard Robinson

Notre Dame must contain Denard Robinson. Last year, Robinson was a flat-out beast against Notre Dame, and "Shoelace" beat the Irish by himself last year—literally.

The dual-threat QB set the record in Notre Dame Stadium record for the longest rush with his 87-yard rushing TD last season. If Robinson runs wild, it will be an 0-2 start for the Irish.

Run The Ball With Cierre Wood

In the opening game, Wood was very impressive, and he showed the talent that made him a top recruit a few years ago coming out of high school. He was quick in and out of his cuts and ran physically. Wood was hitting linebackers before they hit him, and that is a good trait for any RB.

The junior ended the game with 101 yards on the ground and a TD. Coach Kelly will need an encore performance from his star if the Irish expect a win in the Big House.

Michigan is switching from a 3-3-5 stack back to a traditional 4-3 this year, and if the Wolverines experience any growing pains, ND could have a big day on the ground.

Someone Other Than Michael Floyd Has to Make Plays

T.J. Jones is a very solid player, but he needs to bounce back from a very poor performance in the game Saturday versus South Florida.

The sophomore had a great start to the season last year, catching a touchdown in each of the first three games. ND will need that type of play from him, otherwise secondaries will simply just focus solely on Floyd.

The Irish will need this young receiver to regain his confidence and make plays. He has the talent to get it done, he just needs to rally around his teammates and play football.

Avoid Mental Mistakes

Now, I’m not going to sit here and blame the loss to South Florida all on Dayne Crist.

But let’s face it, that interception in the end zone was a crucial mental error, and judging by the reaction of Brian Kelly, I think he would agree.

Whether it was muffed points, personal foul penalties or dropped passes, the Irish really blew it in the mental aspect of the game.

If Notre Dame keeps their focus when they battle Michigan, they will have a shot.

If not…well, you remember last week.

Special Teams

Special Teams is a very underrated aspect of football. Teams like the Chicago Bears draft players solely for their play on special teams (Devin Hester, anyone?).

The coaching staff feels they have a big-time player of their own with Theo Riddick; not comparing Riddick to Hester, but he is dangerous in the open field.

In Game 1, Riddick looked out of it and struggled for the majority of the game. If this junior can have some quality returns and put the offense in better field position, it would help an offense that struggled a week ago with three turnovers inside the 20.