Michigan Football: 8 Surefire Ways to Beat the Fighting Irish

Notre Dame and Michigan meet on the gridiron Saturday night for the 39th time.

The game will be played in prime time before what might be the largest crowd in college football history. More that 114,000 are expected to fill the Big House, breaking the record of 113,090 set in last season's opener with Connecticut. ESPN, which will telecast the game nationally, will also originate its Saturday morning College GameDay show from Michigan Stadium.

Michigan will be hosting its first night game in the proud history of Wolverines football, which dates back to 1879. The Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry began in 1887, when a group of Michigan football players stopped in South Bend to teach some ambitious students the game.

The tumultuous rivalry, which Michigan leads 22-15-1, has been on and off again several times. There's probably been as much controversy off the field as on, with plenty of bickering over who was a fault when the series was suspended, and an equal amount why Notre Dame isn't a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Despite the continuing controversy, Michigan and Notre Dame plan to continue the series indefinitely.

There's no question the series has produced some great football. In fact, Michigan has come from behind in each of the last two games to win in the final moments.

Both teams are trying to return to the glory each enjoyed years ago. Michigan has suffered through three difficult years, while Notre Dame has struggled since coach Lou Holtz left the program in 1996.

Second-year coach Brian Kelly saw some spark from the Irish near the end of the 2010 season when Notre Dame won its final four games, while new coach Brady Hoke presided over Michigan's opening 34-10 win over Western Michigan last Saturday.

Notre Dame has been installed as an early four-point favorite by the oddsmakers, but the Wolverines have several weapons to turn the tide.

Here are eight strategies Michigan can use to win the game. 

Roll the Pocket

The concept is very similar to how the offensive line sets up a screen pass. As the ball is snapped, some members of the line shift to one side and the quarterback rolls with them. Denard Robinson would have better visibility and the tight end coming across would be an excellent target.

It's almost like a naked bootleg with help. 

Run the Fullback

Who can remember when the last time a Michigan fullback carried the football? One thing's for sure, senior fullback John McColgan has never ran with it. 

Wouldn't it be novel for him to hit the line on a quick-hitter or a trap play?

Or what about Stephen Hopkins, who's now out of the doghouse and weighs in at 228 pounds?  

Neutralize Manti Te'o, Harrison Smith

Statistics don't lie. Linebacker Manti Te'o was credited with 133 tackles a season ago and is very active from the middle linebacker position. Te'o was one of the few Notre Dame defenders who had a strong game against Michigan in 2010, coming up with 13 tackles.

Harrison Smith, another Notre Dame standout, made 93 tackles from his safety position, along with seven interceptions.

The important thing is being especially aware of No. 5 (Te'o) and No. 22 (Smith). While this may be a tall order for Michigan's inexperienced defense, the offense can certainly handle the job.      

Score Early

Notre Dame suffered a crushing loss to South Florida last Saturday, 23-20.

The defeat was admittedly self-inflicted, as the Irish committed five turnovers.

It hurts a team like Notre Dame a lot, since it doesn't have a conference to vault itself into postseason play.

A loss to Michigan would be devastating. Not many two-loss teams make it into a BCS bowl game, and for Notre Dame, that would be extremely disappointing.

Michigan scoring first would also extend the pressure on Notre Dame even more, since it'll be playing in a hostile environment.

Give the Irish credit, though, as backup quarterback Tommy Rees brought Notre Dame back from a 16-0 deficit against the Bulls, just not far enough.  

Rest Robinson at Least One Series

Resting Denard Robinson a series or two in the second quarter would serve three purposes:

1. It would give him a break.

2. It would give him the opportunity to read the defense from the sidelines.

3. It would give Devin Gardner some needed reps.

Coaches are reluctant to make this move, but once the first-string quarterback goes down, they think twice the next time. 

Use the Entire Playbook

To beat Notre Dame, Michigan needs to be more innovative on offense, especially when Robinson is under center. (Granted, the Wolverines only ran 39 plays last week in the lightning-shortened game with Western Michigan.)

But the Wolverines should run more screens, draws and even sweeps to the outside. Vincent Smith, no doubt, has the speed to run outside and would be the perfect candidate on a screen pass.

Both screens and draws are excellent weapons against a stout pass rush, something Michigan is sure to see from Notre Dame.    

Mike Martin Must Pressure the Quarterback

Head coach Brady Hoke was not exactly thrilled with the defensive front. Like last season, it appeared Mike Martin was continuously caught up in traffic. 

Martin, despite his size, is quick enough to make things happen from the end, but the experiment of moving Will Campbell to the defensive line hasn't really worked.

Should the Wolverines find a body to help clog the middle, creating a spot for Martin on the outside could lead him directly to the quarterback..   

Create Havoc for Michael Floyd

Like Te'o and Smith, Michael Floyd is another superb Notre Dame athlete.

Despite missing spring practice due to alcohol-related problems, Floyd hauled down 12 passes against South Florida.

In 2010, the 6'3", 224-pound wide receiver had 79 receptions, including 12 for touchdowns.

Probably the best way to slow Floyd is to jam him at the line of scrimmage. Flopping the safety and cornerback might be seen as a radical approach, and a safety with the athletic ability of Josh Furman or Marvin Robinson could make life miserable for Floyd.

When Floyd finally gets into his pattern, the cornerback can pick him up deep.