Notre Dame Football: Report Card Grades for the Irish's Second Game

Saturday night's shocker of a game between the Irish and Michigan is a game that will live on in college football lore.

For Notre Dame, that's not a good thing as the team squandered a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, and ultimately lost 35-31.

There were a few bright spots, but far too many ugly performances.

Follow along as we hand out report card grades position by position.

Quarterbacks

Grade: B

Tommy Rees began the night completing each of his first eight pass attempts and looked to be on his way to a standout performance. 

However, he got a bit greedy which resulted in two costly interceptions deep in Michigan territory.

Those two miscues were somewhat forgiven by Notre Dame's final drive that ended with Rees connecting with Theo Riddick for a 29-yard touchdown that put the Irish ahead 31-28 with just under a minute remaining.

While that last drive was phenomenal, he simply didn't play well enough to win.

If Rees can avoid the same mistakes next week and throughout the season, he'll blossom into the leader he's very capable of becoming.

Running Backs

Grade: A

The Irish running backs had another excellent week with Cierre Wood leading the way with 134 yards on 25 carries along with one score.

He was running with ease for a majority of the game, save for a few predictable third down carries.

Wood's backup, Jonas Gray, had a solid outing, finishing with 66 yards on only six carries.

His performance helped erase memories of the fumble he lost that was returned for a touchdown last week against USF.

If Wood and Gray can avoid injury, the tandem will be one of the nation's best.

Receivers

Grade: B+

Michael Floyd had another monster game against Michigan, hauling in 13 receptions for 159 yards.

He has been unstoppable thus far and is only going to get better as the season progresses.

Aside from Floyd, Theo Riddick and Tyler Eifert each had exceptional performances.

Riddick finished with six receptions for 62 yards and two scores, largely making up for his struggles a week ago against USF.

Even T.J. Jones got in on the action with a crucial touchdown catch that put the Irish up 24-7 late in the third quarter.

Overall, the receivers played very well and avoided the dropped passes that plagued them last week.

Opposing teams will likely begin to double Michael Floyd which will open up opportunities for Jones and Riddick.

Offensive Line

Grade: A

The offensive line followed up last week's excellent performance with a dominating effort against Michigan.

The line provided Tommy Rees with tremendous protection and also opened some gaping holes for Cierre Wood in the ground game.

This group has its toughest challenge of the young season coming next week against Michigan State's stout front four.

Defensive Line

Grade: C+

For the second week in a row, the defensive line was essentially a non-factor.

The unit had a difficult time containing Denard Robinson and wasn't able to get a good push up front.

Credit Michigan's offensive line for providing Robinson with just enough time to throw the ball or take off down field.

Heralded freshmen Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt didn't make an impact in the game.

Linebackers

Grade: B-

Notre Dame spent a considerable amount of time this offseason gameplanning for Denard Robinson due to the 502 total yards he accumulated against the Irish last season.

The linebackers were most responsible for shutting Robinson down, but didn't exactly live up to that responsibility as he finished the game with 116 yards on the ground.

Similar to last week, there were many feeble attempts at arm tackling along with an uncomfortable number of missed tackles.

Secondary

Grade: D

The Irish secondary was vulnerable from the start and only got worse as the game progressed.

Cornerback Gary Gray was victimized on a number of plays, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Roy Roundtree.

In total, the secondary yielded 338 yards despite Robinson only completing 11-of-24 pass attempts.

If the secondary doesn't improve, then opposing quarterbacks will be having fun at Notre Dame's expense.

Special Teams

Grade: C

Punter Ben Turk struggled for a second consecutive game, averaging only 33.5 yards per punt.

His punts were high-arching floaters that sailed wide and out of bounds, oftentimes giving Michigan favorable field position.

In the return game, John Goodman fielded punts and showed his skill at calling for the fair catch. One of his returns ended with a loss of at least 10 yards, pinning Notre Dame deep in its own territory.

In the kicking game, David Ruffer connected on his only field goal attempt of the night, a 38-yard strike to put the Irish ahead 17-7.

He also made all four of his extra point attempts.

This unit was improved from a week ago, but still showed signs of weakness that must be solved immediately.

Coaching

Grade: C

Brian Kelly was forced to relive the same nightmare he experienced last week against USF.

Five turnovers. Squandering a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. Losing to a hated rival in primetime on national television.

It can't get much worse for Kelly.

Well coached teams don't commit five turnovers per game as the Irish have thus far.

It's up to Kelly to right the ship.

Intangibles

Grade: D

Championship-caliber football teams have a killer instinct and mental toughness.

Notre Dame simply does not.

The lack of those two intangibles is the reason the team blew its 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. It was an utter implosion.

Until the Irish develop confidence and mental toughness, they won't be winning football games.

The worst part about it is that the intangibles are things that can not be coached.

It's up to the players to come together and develop them on their own.

Let's hope they do.