English finally does what we've been screaming for and let's the dogs loose. And we don't settle for field goals (attempts)
If so, UM 28 ND 17
If not, "bartender..."
Michigan 26, Notre Lame (ha hahahaha! Lame!!) 14. Ross Ryan makes his debut at safety.
Chucky W leaves the field singing "Double double cheese cheese burger burger please".
ND starts with the ball and marches down the field for a TD. Michigan responds in kind with a drive that consumes the rest of the 1st quarter to tie the game at 1.
From here ND makes adjustments, Michigan does not.
ND 34 UM 17
opps "at 1" means "after 1".
Wolverine fans will cause the nation to hold its collective breath till halfway through the third quarter, when Notre Dame collects a crucial turnover and takes control.
ND 31, UM 20. The country has its Lucky Charms with a mixture of Guinness, Bailey's, and Jameson as ESPN causes us to swallow IRISH IRISH IRISH until the showdown with USC that the Trojans win 58-10.
Michigan 27, Notre Dame 17
UM 109
ND 3
Lloyd Carr= Colonel Kurtz
I drove by his house 2nite and his lights are still on...........game plan developing.......
Mich 24, ND 14---Think you guys have the D to control them my only concern "Will "Carr catch up with the rest of the country and take off the leather helmets and learn this beautiful thing called the forward pass"....
Llloyd and the boys show up at ND Stadium and underperform, as usual. Charlie and the offense strike early and own the first half, making the four quarter largely academic.
At the end of it all, Michigan leaves best all-time winning percentage in South Bend where it belongs.
ND 34, UM 14
And of course, Michigan fans will claim that they were robbed and that it was all sooo unfair...
Charlie Weis proves that he is the BEST COACH EVER by going for it on 4th and 38 from his own 3 yard line in the first quarter. Although the play fails and Michigan goes on to win the game, ESPN praises Weis for his brilliant and agressive play calling. Much better than boring old Llllloyd Carr.
Or maybe it will be a boring grind em out game coming down to a last second field goal.....
38-0
I like that prediction Korea Blue: "Houston's better!" Haha. You KNOW It!!! Let's knock that "BRILLIANT" fat ass and his team where they belong...In the ocean.
I think it might be a little closer than that though...
37-0
Go Blue!!!
Ok...maybe not... 31-21 Big Blue rolls. Yahtzee!
I'm a Buckeye fan, so you can take this for what it's worth...on second thought, I don't give a shit how you take it, but here it is:
Having watched a great deal of both ND games, I'm not at all convinced they're for real - just barely winning (mostly) because Georgia Tech was completely inept on offense (and not because ND was all that "ept" on D), and a comfortable but not really all that impressive win against a Penn State team that's nothing like last year's (and, truth be told, last year's wan't all THAT great)...
I'm guessing (I've only seen the Vandy game) that Michigan's defense can hold the Irish to a manageable number of points, and I'm HOPING (again, and because, I've only seen the Vandy game) that the offense can exploit ND's obviously weak-ass defense just enough. You SHOULD be able to do much, MUCH better than Penn State; that team's in for a lot of long Saturdays.
As much as I'd love ND to fill the "vs. Ohio State" slot in the championship game - knowing that we own them too - I don't think that's in the cards (it'll be USC), and I'd love even more for UM to be the team that's "returning to glory".
So - Go Big Blue!
Thing of the most ridiculous way to fail. No, that's already been done. Even the fumble on the quarterback sneak. Hmm. What's even left? Maybe that means we win. Probably not though.
Dear Matsut,
I'd worry a bit more about your run defense (aren't you guys 10th in your conference?) and the possibility that beating a team with a freshman QB with "moxie" (but little else of value) might not be the best indicator that a trip to Arizona is a done deal.
The Buckeye post claiming they're already in the NC game is intresting!
Pride comes before a fall and I remember the 90's
can you say Tim Biakatupa!
I could manage to say Biakabatuka, it was his first name I had problems with: Tsimonga? Those were the days. Let's hope Hart has one of those magical games.
38-0 Korea Blue? You're not giving Michigan much credit, are you? Even the PSU scrubs could score a couple of garbage time TDs against the ND 2nd/3rd string defense. Michigan should be able to do the same.
"Houston's Better" was the student section's greatest moment in my four years there. I laughed 'til I cried.
first name: Tshimanga
last name: Biakabutuka
gmw said: "And of course, Michigan fans will claim that they were robbed and that it was all sooo unfair..."
did you think of that nugget all by your lonesome?
nd wears the green jerseys, which dooms them for failure. they score on their opening drive, but end up losing 27-17. they drop to #8 in the polls, just behind Michigan at #7. the "returning to glory since 1993" t-shirt makes it onto espn and brian becomes a gajillionaire and spreads the wealth. we all receive checks in the mail for $27.17. thanks bri.
Hart, Manningham, and Woodley are the keys. If they all have a good game It will be 31 - 24 Meeechigan. GO BLUE!!!
"nd wears the green jerseys, which dooms them for failure."
If ND comes out in green jerseys, I'm going to start weeping and drinking heavily.
Mike Hart has never played against Notre Dame.
That should make everyone's hair stand on end.
ND won't bother wasting Green Jerseys on UM. MI runs very well but does manage to find itself in passing downs, ultimately killing drives. ND manages a touchdown on one of it's first two drives and puts on another in the 2nd. Score at half 14-6.
The story of the second half is breaks and the Irish get them. The pressure to score forces the M into forcing a bit leading to turnovers. ND drops 17 b/w the 3rd and 4th while, after a Tid late in the third, the M waits till late in the fourth to bringing the scoring to an end. 31-20.
Matsut, did you copy and paste your comment from a previous one? And why are you still bitter about a team that LOST to you?
I can't believe only one person so far in this thread has predicted a score closer than 10 points, aside from a few vague "we'll lose a heartbreaking close game" predictions...
Honest opinion: The first half offensive shoot out, turns into a second half stale mate...and some fireworks to end the show. Team w/ last possession wins the ball game.
ND fans & Brady Quinn after this game start writing poems about what exactly "Jim Herrmann meant to Notre Dame."
From what I have seen the first two games, the days of "No Gameday Changes" are over, at least for the Michigan D.
This game truly comes down to Ron English vs. Charlie Weis... with a side show of "who can screw up the least" on the other side of the ball. But, this game always comes down to the trenches and who can run the ball/hold the line.
Advantage Michigan.
Got to love the UM homers. Nevermind that Michigan has not won in South Bend since 1994. I do suppose they were playing quality Notre Dame teams during that stretch. Right?
I also love how the immediate response to that statement is "well Michigan was always favored, now the tables are turned!", as if it is good to be less talented (on field and sideline) than your opponent.
Yawn. MSU next weekend to get out of September with a clean record. Big Game.
ND 34 UM 24
Re-run,
Glad to know that the Irish will not break out the "fearsome" (cackle) green jerseys against Michigan. I guess you guys only save those for truly elite programs like Boston College, huh?
Bill,
Please inform us what it's like to celebrate a 3-loss season? Michigan fans are pretty grumpy when that happens. Of course, I guess that beats the alternative - namely ND's record in the previous seasons.
Not sure why not having won in south bend since Remy's beautiful 42 yarder in 1994 is at all relevant to 2006...
However, I would take that back and forth contest, even the last two-minutes with Powlus to Hayes, er... Quinn to Samardjia, for the go-ahead score, so long as I get to watch Henne flip it to mario, then stevie B, then Carson Butler makes a big over the middle catch to bring us inside the ND 40 yd. line with just under 20 seconds to play...
one more sideline pass to stevie wonder to gain yardage, and a quick Hart push to the center of the field gives us Rivas from 35 for the game...
And the win...
UM 27 - ND 24
oops... that's Quinn ->Samarzdjiasyhsdgjhdfbued for the tie...
Kurt,
I'd love to discuss that with you. Could help me out and tell me what it's like when your "legendary" coach does not win a national championship.
Looks like he couldn't even beat teams in the top 10. Niceee.
Go Bo!
Although I appreciate Notre Dame for having the fight song to which I learned the quadratic formula so many years ago, I'm going to have to say Michigan 31, Notre Dame 14..Go Blue!
I've been working this over in my head, and after a few simulated games on NCAA Football '07 on my xbox360, as well as reviewing stats and prior games, accounting for penalties and possible injuries I think I've come up with a likely out come.
Zoltan Mesko 148 - Notre Dame 3
Now, in the unlikely event that Michigan decides not to let Zoltan be the only player on the field, and make it a fair game, I took 15 seconds to ponder about the ending score.
UM 20 - ND 17
Defense is going to rule this game.
Bill,
Why don't you do some research and run the numbers on Carr vs. the top 10 (which is far more relevant to this game). Then post your results. Oh, and by the way, how is Weis against the top 10?
Bill, I've saved you the trouble:
Lloyd Carr is 15-6 against top 10 teams. He is 3-1 against #2 teams.
Charlie Weis is, I believe, 0-3 against the top 10. 0-2 if sParty wasn't in it before they beat ND last year.
Carr is 10-12 against AP Final Top Ten.......that's really where the rubber meets the road.
And once again: why do you people revere a loser like Bo????? My god, do you think OSU has an office set aside for John Cooper?!?
http://bluegraysky.blogspot.com/
Mike, your ignorance of Bo's contributions and value to the program dating back to the 1960s is probably directly related to your ignorance in deifying your coach of an entirety of 14 football games.
Final top 10? That's stupid ex post facto logic. It's like saying Marilyn Monroe only had sex with men who are now dead.
If Hart runs for over 200, Michigan wins for sure. I say he runs for 180-ish, and Michigans win anyway. Final score, 24-17.
Bill, do you revere Lou "saliva gush" Holtz? Didn't he win a bowl game while also tarnishing the dome?
If Hart runs for over 200, Michigan wins for sure. I say he runs for 180-ish, and Michigans win anyway. Final score, 24-17.
Bill, do you revere Lou "saliva gush" Holtz? Didn't he win a bowl game while also tarnishing the dome?
bill wrote: "Got to love the UM homers."
umm, as opposed to the rampant anti-homerism of notre dame fans?
The notion that we'll unveil all kinds of new stuff in the passing game never seen before by beast or man or Jabba the Weis is unsupported by anything in Debord's or Carr's resume (or in the last 50 years of Michigan football, for that matter). We'll certainly pass more, but there's no reason to think it will be anything that Weis & Co. haven't seen 250 times before.
So, can we simply cram the ball down their throats on the ground? ND may not be the '86 Bears, but neither are they Indiana. I think they'll load up against the run on first and second down and be able to force UM into the obvious passing situations, and here's where I think our Achilles heel will be. I haven't seen any hard evidence yet this season that UM posseses a potent and reliable downfield passing game, either in the throwing or the catching. If we don't, we'll fail repeatedly to convert on third down, which means we'll be punting too often. Field position will gradually turn heavily in ND's favor in the second quarter, meaning we'll be repeatedly starting deep in our own territory, which will lessen the opportunities to throw the ball vertically. Many of our passes will be the horizontal throws to Breaston we've come to know and love, with Stevie being forced to shake and bake with little or no blocking.
All this means that our defense will be under continuous pressure to bail us out, and they'll do a manly job of it in the first half. They'll do reasonably well against the ND run, and will get to Quinn a couple of times. However, by the middle of the third quarter, the 80+ heat will start to take its toll, and ND will start to pile up the yards, TOP, and points.
• Can our defensive front get constant meaningful pressure on Quinn? Will we get to him BEFORE he attepts a 3rd-and-17 pass to sustain a drive, or will we have to be content with knocking him on his butt AFTER the completion? I'm guessing that ND's experienced (aside from Young) O-line will force a stalemate with our front.
• Will Hart/Grady/Minor have any room to run, or will ND successfully stack the line to keep them bottled up? I'm guessing the latter.
• Can Henne keep the chains moving by getting first downs via the air? I'm afraid not often enough.
• Can we prevent big kick returns by ND? Judging from the historical clusterfuck that is our special teams performance against ND, not to mention our performance against CMU, I say no.
Score at the half: ND 17 UM 10
Score after 3: ND 24 UM 13
Final: ND 34 UM 16
I will be the happiest guy around if I'm completely wrong. I detest losing to ND more than any other program, including OSU and USC, and losing to them is a rusty spike in the temple every time.
Willingham was better...
G.I.M.B.(Get in my Belly)=Weis
You know its tragic when OSU fans defend Kittyverines...But you bastards should win by 2 touchdowns just based on the simplicity of it all....Just quit throwing gawddam bubble screens and life will be good.....Steve Breaston is the Dick Cheney of the UM offense, where does he go, where does he go???????????
What does it matter what Carr's record is against the Top 10? It is the "mandate" of the UM coach to win the Big 10. Nuff said. He could be 0-100 against the Top 10 and still win the Big 10 and bring much joy to Ann Arbor annually.
That being said...how does beating Central Northwestern Michigan Tech School of Agriculture and Husbandry help you achieve the goal of winning the Big 10?
By the way, we sure do appreciate you all allowing the rest of college football to fight over that national championship thingy each year...
And once again: why do you people revere a loser like Bo?????
Because he revived the program and led it with class and integrity for twenty years. You're done commenting here, Mike.
Michigan wins if Henne can somehow throw a pass 10 yards down the field. He has the receivers that can run them down and a sold running game behind him. Those deep throws keep the defense honest and will open up running room for Hart.
Yeah, Bo was 4-6 against Notre Dame. One Gillette shank (in 1988) away from a .500 record against your sacred school.
But hey, I'm not the right guy to defend Bo. My brother was on the team (he was a SS) in the mid-80's under Bo. He truly hated the guy, and he also thought Bo was a terrible coach. He always used to lament about how much talent Bo squandered with his incredibly conservative game planning. The only thing he gave Bo credit for was that his teams always played hard, and hit even harder. Even if a team did beat a Bo team, they felt it the next day.
http://weiswatchers.com/
Jeezus Rice
If Carr really is 10-12 against end of the season top 10 teams I'd say that is pretty friggin' good. Especially when combined with the "top 10 at game time" record. First off, teams that lose any given game have a hard time making it into the top 10. They can really only lose one more. So, by beating them UM has decreased their chances of remaining top 10. Second, if you have a nearly .500 record against final top 10 teams that means you were nearly .500 against the best teams in the nation (often despite having one loss) without taking into account the strength of UM's team. This stat is very different from a record against one team (say 5-4 vs. OSU or whatever) because it pits you against the best which will rotate every year and doesn't give you the benefit of the down seasons of your opponent.
I'm still not Carr's biggest fan but those aggregate stats are his strength.
Bo is a good man. There's more to a man than now many National Championships he won.
Zoltan versus Ditka...
One of the things I'll never understand about the UM/ND build up is that people on both sides take comments about their teams personally. As if they're part of the actual team or that Carr or Weis is going to point into the stands and call them onto the field.
When I called Weis classless for running up the score last week you'd think I spit on the floor of the Vatican. Nothing was directed at the ND faithful, it was directed at the coach for what I and a number of people regarded as unnecessary oneupsmanship. ND supporters emailed or posted saying I was dillusional and all sorts of things. Sheesh.
It's almost like people feel the only way they can prove they're a bigger fan than the next is by denegrating the other side. Calling them losers or other such nonsense.
Word to the wise, being an asshole doesn't make you a better fan. It just makes you an asshole.
ducky wrote: " It is the "mandate" of the UM coach to win the Big 10. Nuff said. He could be 0-100 against the Top 10 and still win the Big 10 and bring much joy to Ann Arbor annually."
and you still obviously don't know what "ostensibly" means.
Am I missing earlier obsenity-laced flamings, or did Mike just get banned for simply pointing out the fact that Bo didn't do so great in big games against top 10 teams? Someone's a wee bit high strung this morning...
Basically the latter, Scott, plus another couple comments along those lines. He's not bringing anything useful to the discussion. It's flamebait.
I am consistently high-strung if that's any comfort.
duck,
First, you should know that many (if not most) fans are not happy with simply winning the Big 10 - although it's not a bad consolation prize to go to the Rose Bowl.
Second, how ironic for you to bring up strength of schedule. Granted, ND's is OK this year but from years past - I guess the service academies were tought, huh?
Third, Michigan has a national title more recently than does ND (which has not won a bowl game since before Carr was hired) so I am not sure why you are trying to play that card.
UM CAUP, since you started the Bo stories, I'll continue. My uncle-in-law (is that even a term) was on Bo's first team, actually recruited by Bump Elliot. (And while he thought he was a good coach, he also kind of hated him, but mainly because he was recruited as a passing qb and was quickly converted to fullback, where his dreams of beautiful spirals was replaced with ramming his head into linebackers).
He said that most Friday nights, Bo would take the entire team to a movie to briefly take their minds off the game, usually something like Patton or the Green Berets. One Friday, Bo saw Midnight Cowboy in the paper and, thinking it was a western, took the team.
About a half-hour into it, Bo realizes that no shootouts or horseback chases are likely to appear in the film, and that there's a good chance that Jon Voigt's ass may make an appearance. He gets up, roars, 'We're getting the hell out of here,' and leads the entire team out of the theater.
UM 24-ND 20, Hart 175, Henne 200, Woodley 2 sacks.
Just wanted to comment and say I recently got linked to this blog and I'm completely amazed by it. This is heaven for an alum like me living in OR. Thanks for doing such a great job. Seriously, you rock. I don't know how many female regular readers you have, but add me to the list.
Guys, I hate to break it to us all, but much better Michigan squads have lost to much worse ND squads over the years. I have a feeling that this game isn't going to be close:
ND 35 Mich 13
Oh and to stay on topic:
UM 24 ND 17
Keys to the Game: ND is too good not to expect them to make plays in the passing game, but hopefully UM limits those plays. Turnover ratio is important in every football game, so I won't be boring and state that as one of my keys. I do believe there are three keys to a Michigan victory over the Irish.
1. Outgain the Irish by 100 yards or more on the ground.
2. Score touchdowns in the red zone.
3. Get a big play or TD one of these four ways: deep pass, trick play, special teams, or defence.
What do you guys think?
chad henne has to play a lot better for the wolverine to win. although there doesn't seem to be a david terrell or braylon edwards in our receiving corps right now, the receivers are more talented than the DBs of vanderbilt and CMU. yet, debord rarely called for any pass plays down the field.
i am hoping this has been a strategic decision to set up notre dame. every analyst is questioning the pass offense of michigan and i hope our wolverines make this game to prove that the team can pass against the hyped up safeties of ND. this is what i'm counting on for michigan to beat ND.
who thought the greise-streets combination would be so lethal in the 1997(really 1998) rose bowl? washington state didn't expect michigan to pass like that. i hope michigan has been setting up ND in the same way.
now it's time for michigan to execute all phases of the game.
Brian, are you coming to SB for the game? If so, you are more than welcome to come to our tailgater and hang out. We have a prime spot and will have plenty of food & drink.
Do you still have my contact info from way back when?
scott -
It was a little more than "pointing out the fact that Bo didn't do so great in big games." He came to Michigan board and called Bo a loser. The only reason to do that is to piss people off. Brian's right, his comments added nothing and were made with the direct intention of annoying the readers here and starting a flame war.
I'm not going to the game, Jay, but thanks for the offer.
Brian -
It looks like leaving your engineering job was a wise move. You've (finally) picked up your first hot blog groupie.
Congrats.
Kurt,
I'll be happy to go toe to toe with you over ND/UM national championships...the point that UM has made consistently over the years is that it's not important. Win or lose this weekend against ND, you are not one step closer to that Holy Grail of college football...the Big 10 Champioinship.
Anytime, brian. Seriously.
here is another prediction:
if ND wins, the chances of this game making the cover of SI: 100%
if M wins, the chances of this game making the cover: 1%. (in the case of a close, exciting win for M, the chances rises to 10%.)
This game should come down to turnovers and ball control. The team with the better net punting / special teams will also have a significant advantage.
I personally try to shy away from the 'bravado' talk and instead focus on the fact that both programs are full of good talent (both top-10 recruiting for the past 5 years) and both programs will bring it to the field. The team 'x' is going to clobber the other team because of (blahblah) type comments are simply naive IMO.
Make fun of conservative coaching all you want -- but both programs (and several other all-time top 10 programs) have their high winning percentage because of their ability to implement a strategy and perfect it over time. (Note: this is directed at both ND and M)
I am just hoping that this will be a good game and not a blowout (like both teams had last week).
Looking at the skill players on each team, one can't help but conclude that Quinn/Walker/Szamardja (I tried)/McKnight beats Henne/Hart/Manningham/Breaston. We're going to need to win convincingly in the trenches to take the game. Looking at the personnel, I think that's possible, but Riley's going to need serious help on the right side, at least in the passing game.
i wish i could spell. thing ≠ think.
BGS has finally crossed over into the realm of ND Nation-like dimentia and general crudeness.
I used to like that blog - despite an admitted distaste for notre dame. It's a shame they've turned it into a flame pit based loosely on suspiciously selected, self-serving facts.
Here's my take and I will preface this by saying I am an ND die-hard.
When I started looking at this schedule from January through the start of the season. There were three games that stuck out to me as potential losses.
3. @ Georgia Tech
2. @ USC
1. vs Michigan
I have been worried about this game since the end of last year and nothing has happened to change my opinion.
When I look at the last 4 years, I see 3 close games and the one debacle. Frankly, I think Michigan was the better team every one of those days but through a poor call from an official (2002) or just shooting yourself in the foot over and over (2004 and 2005), Michigan has found a way to lose to a team that they should have beat those three years.
This year, I just look at ND's defense which is supposedly back. I think they have done a solid job but then I cant help but think that the two running backs they have faced have been able to pick up 6+ yards easily on many runs. I consider Hart and Michigan's OL better than either of the two we have faced so far, and I would expect they would have a fairly easy time running on ND. I actually think ND will shut down the pass pretty well but it is the running game that scares me. IF UM decides to throw the ball alot, I like ND's chances.
On the other side of the ball, lets not forget that Notre Dame had a tough time moving the ball against this Michigan defense last year outside of the opening drive. Michigan seems to have a decent defensive coordinator this year too.
I just can't make a pick in this game as my heart tells me ND, obviously, but head says Michigan. But I could see it going either way. I dont really see how anyone can say definitively who wins this game. It seems like one of those where you could play it 10 times and each team wins 5.
Hopefully the Irish pull it out though as I have a hard time seeing them lose in the next 8 games if they win this one.
Either way, hopefully we see a good game.
Jason
I'll start off saying that Green Jersey's come out for a particularly noteworthy game and just like Breaston isn't a jersey #1 type player, this isn't that type of game. Not to say this won't be a great game, but it certainly doesn't rival last year's USC game or the buzz to, yes, the BC (after which the Irish would have been undefeated and playing for (and, admittedly, losing) the national championship). This game, while having great promise, is not that sort of game. So, why waste the green jersey's on them?
"deifying your coach of an entirety of 14 football games" oh yeah, just 14 wins. oh wait, and 3 super bowl wins. oh, AND making Tom Brady a HOF'er. Cheese & Rice, i love dropping the 3 super bowl rings. It's like busting out some "Sex Panther"
...never gets old.
Plus, no way Hart goes for 175, that's just the stuff of fantasy. Hell, Reggie Bush didn't approach 175 against a less experienced version of this same defense. Then again, maybe that was because of the green jerseys. or maybe just the
THREE SUPER BOWL RINGS.
Gyros,
Thats only looking at the offensive players. We have a sick D-line and pretty capable corners. Linebackers and safeties are the biggest concern. I think Hall and Trent can run with NDs receivers. No one is convincing me that a pitcher is faster than Leon Hall or former track star Morgan trent
Jason -- I pretty much have a mirror image of your view. Heart says UM, head says ND. I think UM can run on ND. I haven't seen a passing game form UM this year. The UM secondary makes me nervous. The D-line has been good, but not entirely consistent. The Michigan O-line has had pretty significant problems pass protecting. WR have been ok at best. I think ND could get a lot of big passing plays if Quinn is not constistently pressured.
Re-run,
That's great. Congratulations. You "held" Bush to a mere 160 yards (3 TDs) on 15 attempts, over 10 yards per carry - impressive! That also might have something to do with USC passing for over 300 yards.
Yes, I realize that Bush was all world and no I do not think that Hart gets 175 but I do predict he gets over 100.
Finally, I was not aware that Tom Brady was a HOFer due to Weiss. You mean a couple of good years gets you in? Oh and let's at least mention that Weis WAS NOT THE HEAD COACH!
Adam,
I agree. I think Michigan CAN win this game but honestly I think ND DOES win this game. Michigan has a smaller margin for errors given ND's superior offense. Plus it's in South Bend. Those two factors move it from a toss-up to a probable ND victory IMO.
re-run: Charlie Weis, 60% of the time he wins everytime.
I think Michigan wins this game in surprisingly dominant fashion from start to finish. The defense this year looks great. If pass protection holds up Hart's running game will make Henne's job easy and the pasing game will go smoothly. I don't think the passing game is hiding something amazing, but they certainly haven't been in a situation where they need to gun balls downfield or over the middle. WE haven't seen many long 3rd downs this season. I like Henne's decision making in pressure situations this year and I think that has been the "x-factor" in his 2 previous losses against ND.
Call it a hunch.
Michigan 24 - ND 13
i promised myself after our last 2 defeats at ND (when i picked michigan to win both times), NEVER bet on michigan to win at ND. history tells us that is a fool's bet, doesn't it?
Oh boy. The green jerseys. Yet another example of fine nd dimentia. Hey, I have an idea, let's choose a third color, completely arbitrary in nature, that doesn't even resemble one of our two school colors. Sound crazy?
Shouldn't your arbitrarily selected, third color jerseys be red... or blue... since nd is a French institution? Nah, that would actually make some sense.
Ben: There is that whole Ireland-Green connection thing.
"Shouldn't your arbitrarily selected, third color jerseys be red... or blue... since nd is a French institution? Nah, that would actually make some sense."
Who knew that Michigan had subway fans? Because I'm assuming Michigan grads have basic cultural knowledge, stuff like Ireland's color being green and Notre Dame being nicknamed the Fighting Irish because of the heavy Irish presence there at one time.
My prediction? Whoever wins, people like Ben and Mike will still be losers.
Quite simply, Brady Quinn solidifies his strangle hold on the Weisman Trophy.
Notre Dame - 71
Michigan - 4
Ok, seriously:
Michigan - 27
Notre Dame - 24
And I get to shat all over the face of a converted Notre Dame fan that I know who, until 2 years ago, was a die hard Michigan fan. Who does that at age 30? Honestly...
The keys to the game for Michigan are easily:
1. Winning first down
2. Winning the turnover battle
3. No special teams mistakes- this means you Garrett Rivas!
We have to be able to establish the run on first down so we have manageable down and distance on second/third down.
Turnovers-they just can't happen. Look at the last game we played there. We just pissed the ball away. Last year, fumble on the goalline. Again, we have to win this battle.
Rivas has to kick like he did last week. No blocks, no shanks, no heart-beating on XP's.
My head says ND, but my blood is Maize and Blue, so I say....
UM 24
ND 23
Osvaldo, if I educate you as to why notre dame is called the fighting irish will you leave?
NDjim, thanks for the explanation, but I got it. Let me offer you the following, nd green jerseys are as arbitrary and laughable as brown jerseys for Hawkeyes or buckeyes, gold jerseys for the sooners, or maize jerseys for the cornhuskers.
They are called mascots. Inventing a third color for your school that only has two, then creating jerseys for it is ridiculous. I shouldn't have said arbitrary before, it's more ridiculous.
Re-run -
ever think that maybe, just maybe, Brady turned Weis into a super bowl champ? didn't see bledsoe winning any super bowls under him.
and not that i expect a domer to do his homework, but Weis has FOUR super bowl rings. (see: Bill Parcells' Giants)
and i agree w/ Ben, instead of blue, gold, and "green", the domers should change to their true Frenchie colors of blue, white, and red
I just heard that in preparation for the game, Notre Dame has unveiled a Charlie Weiss mural to complement their Touchdown Jesus:
http://tinyurl.com/qsjcz
*Sigh*
More petty bickering between the idiot factions of the fan bases and less civil dialogue about the game? Y'all know that trash talking won't actually affect the outcome, right?
Whatever, I think I'm gonna go hang out at Maize 'N Brew where Dave at least seems to be keeping his sanity. Not to say Brian isn't, but then again legions of delisonal fans aren't over there.
Link had trouble. Sorry. Try this:
http://thumbsnap.com/v/lXcvjlQ9.jpg
And once again: why do you people revere a loser like Bo?????
Mike | 09.14.06 - 10:58 am | #
If you watch "Michigan Football Memories," there is a scene where Bo is describing his coaching staff's first visit into the Michigan locker-room, having just come up from Miami-Ohio.
One of the coaches proposes tearing out a nail or spike in the wall and upgrading to a higher-quality hook or something, but Bo stops him, and reminds everyone in the room of the incredible history and tradition that rests in the Michigan Football program:
"You might have fancier hooks at some schools, but you DON'T have the spike where the great Fielding H. Yost hung his coat and his whistle."
You ask why we continue to revere and protect Bo?
Think of it this way: It's our turn to protect that spike.
Hey Dave, quit logging in as other people and trying to mooch hits over at Maize 'n Brew.
(that was a joke, Matt K... felt the need to explain since it appears you've no sense of humor)
it's going to be close, as it has been the past couple years. it's hard to tell which team has looked better in the first two games, simply because vandy and cmu aren't very good competition, and gtech and psu have flaws that gave the games to nd.
just from rep and brief observation, i'd give both offenses the edge over both defenses. nd has had a somewhat difficult time stopping the run, but just looking at the recent cmu game recap and the player quotes, the um o-line seems to be having some trouble. similarly, quinn/shark/mcknight have been playing fairly well, but the o-line has been having trouble when d's go blitz-happy. however, both defenses are good enough that neither team is going to be out of it early, unless nd going deep against the blitz turns out better or the nd db's take up some of the previous year's incompotence. also, looks like both teams are playing more 5 db than usual, so the run games will be magnified.
as an nd homer, and judging by previous performance, i'm figuring darius walker will have another big game against the wolverines, and that that will be the difference in this game. nd 27 - um 20
Ben, if I'd known Dave was desparate for hits, I'd have tried to charge him for the plug.
Oh my. RHammer, you just made me feel a hell of alot better about the annoying tendencies of some of my fellow Domers who over-romanticize our admittedly rich past with cheesy soundbites.
I literally shot coffee through my nose laughing, as I imagined thousands of Michigan fans comforting themselves after Bo refused to kick it away from the Rocket (or perhaps after Bo lost his 10th rose bowl) with "well, at least he kept that rusty nail that Yost hung his coat on".
Hey Scott, if you could bottle the arrogance and ignorance with which you post, you could light up the universe.
Matt K -- it's not too late... hit him up for the cash!
man, can we just cut out the jibes on bo? i mean, i'm an nd fan, and it's even making me a bit uncomfortable. on top of that, it's giving the rest of the nd fans here a bad rep. yes, he's not a nice guy from a notre dame fan's point of view, but he was a legend at michigan.
it's like the whole lou holtz thing. everyone will point out that holtz had the recruiting scandal (which, in lou's defense, was simply someone being designated a "booster" for paying $25 to join "the quarterback club" or something like that), and that he lisps, and is borderline senile. yet the man's a legend at nd because he ran the program with integrity. nobody outside of the irish faithful really gets it. same thing with bo. give it a rest.
Ben, my man-- my post was perhaps a bit arrogant, but please note that I'm clearly also ragging on my fellow Irish fans who go over the top with the cheese when discussing legends from our past. The perfect example on our side is Lou Holtz. I love Lou for many reasons, but I'll never go overboard like some of my fellow ND fans and claim he was some paragon of virtue. Conversely, while Bo may have indeed led UM's program back from the dead and done so while running a clean program and graduating players, it strains the bounds of credibility to ignore his poor record in the big games or lack of NC's when comparing him to the other coaching giants.
Um, Scott, you misspelled Holth
too bad you aren't one for history scott...
i guess it was too much to ask for you to understand a simple metaphor for why Bo might have engendered such respect amongst those who are tied to the UM program...
I'm not wasting any one else's time on this... you aren't a fan of history (ND or UM), or anecdotes, or "learning things"... i understand that now... forgive me
I can assure you. Most ND fans love Bo and Lloyd and hope they remain key cogs in the UM football factory for many, many years to come!
So we've established so far in this thread that neither team has any chance of winning and that neither team has any sort of tradition or history worth talking about. Bo never won a game. The earth orbits Charlie Weis. Got it.
I think this game presents some very favorable matchups for Michigan. ND's relative weaknesses--linebackers and offensive line--play to Michigan's strengths. Michigan's biggest weakness--the receiver position--isn't exactly something that will play into the teeth of ND's entire team (though Morgan Trent is small, meaning he's at risk of being sucked into Weis' gravitational pull).
If I didn't already know that Michigan doesn't win at Notre Dame, I'd be picking a Michigan win. I think Michigan will get more yardage and more first downs, will win the clock battle and force more turnovers than it surrenders, but will lose ... 28-20. Big plays sprinkled here and there save the day for the Irish.
Conversely, while Bo may have indeed led UM's program back from the dead and done so while running a clean program and graduating players, it strains the bounds of credibility to ignore his poor record in the big games or lack of NC's when comparing him to the other coaching giants.
And if you could point out some examples of Michigan fans, I dunno, DOING that maybe this would have some slight relevance. As it is the only people talking about Bo this week are Blue-Gray Sky. You know he retired over 15 years ago, right? If rude Domer fans hadn't brought it up his name wouldn't even be mentioned in this thread.
I realize it's difficult for ND fans to believe that the last 15 years actually happened, but let's move on.
I'm banned, everybody! I said Bo was likely a bigot because Yost was a bigot! I drool on myself frequently!
Edited By Siteowner
I agree with Brian...let's move on. Michigan needs to do two things in order to win, IMHO. First, Michigan's offense MUST score more points than ND's offense. Second, and I cannot stress this enough, Michigan's Defense MUST concede fewer points to ND than ND's defense concedes to Michigan. If that happens, I think our chances of winning would be very good.
@brian:
just defending the guys at bgs. while 15 years have indeed moved on since bo retired, it's only been a month since bo said such things as "We don't need Notre Dame. They need us more than we need them. Hell, we're playing all these Big Ten teams. When Penn State came into the league, then we should do everything we can to get this Notre Dame series over with. Now that's the way I feel" and "I would rather have an intersectional game than a midwest game. Play Southern Cal. I don't care. Play Texas... somebody like that. But not Notre Dame."
when a rival's revered coach says that, especially recently, it will come up during rivalry week. if holtz had said something like that, i'd bet you'd have it up as well.
and it looks like the whole bo thing game up only after flamebait from whoever that kurt fellow is. rudeness begets rudeness, i suppose.
duck, I see how being a bigot is relevant to this thread at all. Believe me, this is not a path you want to go down. I think it would be best if you just went away now.
Hey ducky, did you like Lloyd Carr as a key cog in 2003?
"... likely a bigot ..."
Sweet Jesus. Somebody obviously isn't smart enough to get into Notre Dame or Michigan.
tedwick: arguing over who started it is juvenile, but I'm juvenile so: you started it. Nyaaah!
Seriously, I would appreciate it if we could cool it. Ben, Kurt, various other Michigan posters getting understandably ornery: please cut it out, Dave Coulier style, and let's talk about the game. Civil Notre Dame fans, as apparently rare as they are on the Internet, are more than welcome.
I really don't think we are going to see Michigan blitzing like GT. ND figured that out after 25 minutes, and I'm sure its not going to take them that long again.
The key for Michigan is going to be getting pressure with there front 4, or 4 + 1.
This game is going to come down to Henne. Everyone knows UM is going to try to pound the ball. I don't think ND will stop them all together, but they will be focused on the run enough to keep it from beating them. Henne is going to have to keep the safties honest by going down field.
I think the difference in the game will be Henne's inability to do this.
ND 34 UM 20
Not that I don't enjoy the lobbing of molotov cocktails at one another, I've got a few questions if people have answers.
1) Is everyone healthy on our sidelines for the game saturday? Ecker for instance?
2) If you had to choose between man-boobs or frontal ass which would it be?
3) Who's gonna start opposite Hall on Saturday? Stewart started wk 1 and Trent started wk 2.
4) Death is not an option: Laura Quinn or Chelsea Clinton? Am I the only one that thinks Quinn looks like a grown up version of Wednesday from the Adams Family?
5) Reuben Riley: Great Right Tackle or Greatest Right Tackle?
ducky and scott, i wonder if you wouldn't mind returning to discussing the game at hand (this the "Game Thread" is it not?)
You could try adding your two cents about why you think your defense is truly underrated and has as much of a chip on its shoulder following last year's fiesta bowl outing ("performance" sounded too good to use there)...
Or how your medusa-like, many-headed monster of an offense will overwhelm any lingering weaknesses in our reinvigorated defense.
Those are interesting topics, and things we may disagree on, but debatable points...
much more fun to debate than baseless accusations
1) I think Graham is questionable. Ecker should play.
2) Er, no comment.
3) Stewart, probably.
4) Chelsea Clinton, because she isn't married to AJ Hawk.
5) Super Greatest.
Don't take this as ammo for the flame war, but Bo is right in a big way about the ND game. As far as Michigan is concerned it hasn't been very beneficial, we've mostly lost and lost to teams that weren't all that great. And it would be a more interesting TV game as well as a better recruiting tool for Michigan to play a Texas or USC on a regular basis.
I don't know who "needs" who more, although ND would struggle with strength of schedule issues without us in some years. I also think its pretty weak that they wouldn't join the Big Ten because it would've taken some of their bowl money back when they went to bowls more regularly.
i like popcorn
piggybacking off of Greg... I agree it will fall to Henne to sustain drives through passing, but I don't know if it will necessarily need to be deep balls all day in order to be successful.
the run will set up the LB's to fall victim to a (hopefully healthy) Ecker, Butler, or lil' Massey over the middle, or up a seam...
As Brian has indicated in his UFR on our offense, much of this will come down to whether they bring 7 or 8 into the box...
I'm hoping our formations (TE over Riley (pass) or Long(run)? three wide with StevieB set back, etc.) don't give away our playcalling, and that we run consistently at Abiamiri and the rest for the whole first quarter to tire them out and weaken the pass rush (points i believe Brian or others here have made earlier this week)...
Again, I am cautiously optimistic and am cognizant of the fact that this is usually decided in the last quarter, meaning there is a strong likelihood this will be a close game, regardless of which way it tilts.
Meaningless Prediction: Weis brings them out in green and leprechauns rejoice
@Kevin: the thing is, notre dame hasn't really had a problem replacing michigan when michigan refused to play them. in recent history, teams like nebraska and osu came into the fold when michigan decided to take a break. i'd say that nd still gets more benefit out of the game, at least recently since michigan keeps losing games they should win, but it's still become somewhat of a rivalry. if michigan quits, it just seems like sour grapes. oh, and it was pretty weak of yost to blackball them back in the beginning of the big ten.
re: the game. just wondering how michigan's nickel has looked in the past couple games? because on top of samardzija and mcknight, nd's third wide reciever, david grimes, is coming back from injury(?). last year matt shelton, who played the same position, had a big game against ya'll, and grimes is more talented. just wondering if there's any reads on how that matchup will play out.
we've hardly played anything but nickel with two games against spread teams, so it's been pretty good given the results. The nickel back is usually either Ryan Mundy, a free safety, or Morgan Trent, a cornerback. Mundy missed a jam and that resulted in a touchdown versus central, but that was more Englemon's fault.
In nickel packages on passing downs expect a lot of 3-3-5 with Shawn Crable as a quasi-DE hell bent on the QB.
(ignoring tedwick's still inflammatory remarks because Brian asked us to)
Do we know with any degree of certainty that Graham won't play? I thought the presser and TV said it was a thigh bruise or something... but he's listed in Wolverine magazine as having a hamstring pull. Any inside info?
No inside info, unfortunately, but I doubt he plays. He didn't even dress versus CMU.
What I most want to see Saturday is simply Carr taking this game seriously. What made 2002 and 2004 so incredibly frustrating was that we bumbled around on offense, not even using our best players, and of course lost. Carr seemed to go into those games with the feeling that while it'd be nice to win, we didn't, oh well, onto the B10.
I think that's lead to the over-conservative game plans, lack of mental focus, and general sloppiness (lost fumbles) we've seen. If we correct that stuff, we can win.
Wow people have been busy getting the panties gnarled up and such!
Michigan is hungry, and I think the hog mollies will come out strong establishing the ground game they have worked ALL off season on. Michigan gets early lead... ND will play close to LOS and even if our runs are reduced to 2-3 YPC, I doubt we go to air more then first two games unless it is 4qtr. Actually, most likely turnover paranoia keeps on the ground/screen game all game while we lead. If Michigan does not have a late turnover we hold lead, and win in a semi-boring to watch game. If we do turn it over big MO pulls a flip-MO and the Irish storm ahead all 05 Wisconsin style. Good game either way, excited to go watch it.
Any SB locals got bar suggestions for Fri, Sat night...
First, I think I have only responded to flames in kind. But anyway...
I think Michigan has a good shot at a halftime lead but I fear the 4th Q collapse that was so familiar last year. Quinn is a clutch performer and if the M defense gets tentative at all I think Quinn wins the game for ND late.
I really don't think we are going to see Michigan blitzing like GT. ND figured that out after 25 minutes
Figured it out? They scored 14 points for the entire game. I'd glady give up that level of "figuring out" the blitz.
If Michigan takes a break from the ND series after 2011, ND fans will say we are ducking them. If ND does not keep playing BC, the Eagles will say they are being ducked (joining LSU). It is only ducking when some other school is doing it.
Michigan won't be able to find a bigger OOC game than ND, but playing an FSU or a Texas might be better for recruiting. Certainly Irish fans who are wary of scheduling too many Midwestern teams can understand this motive.
As far as the game goes, ND's short and midrange passing scares the bejebus out of me.
Michigan will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by not going for it on 4th and one late in the game, holding onto a slim lead. They punt instead, and Quinn leads the Irish down the field in less than 90 seconds, passing the ball to Walker out of the backfield as time expires to win the game.
Scott,
Why don't you try watching a game instead of looking at a boxscore.
Thanks for returning the level of dialog to an O$U level.
1. In preparation for this game ND has had the opportunity to work out many areas of concern versus two quality opponents from BCS conferences while UM has kicked over two tomato cans. In any event, ND is battle tested & hardened and it has emerged through the fire of more substantial challenges as a stronger & more experienced team.
2. UM's best shot against the high octane ND offense is to bring constant withering pressure (cf. the OSU and GT games). And yet ND was able to adjust to the pressure after the half of the GT game and they showed similar compsure by handling the PSU blitzes easily. UM will only keep this game close if they are able to keep constant unrelenting pressure on Quinn. If Quinn has time to throw, expect another lopsided win for ND against the Big Ten.
3. In the latest game, Brady Quinn demonstrated the deadly ability to distribute the ball evenly among two all-American receivers (RM & JS), Darius Walker, and the big Muchacho John Carlson, which will make life hell for the UM linebacking corps and secondary.
4. Appropos #3, Brady Quinn ran the best linebacking corps in the country ragged last week as they chased TE's and RB's all over God's green earth; the UM backers will likely share a similar fate.
5. A very good UM running game will begin promising drives, but eventually UM will be forced into third down passing situations; Henne will not be able to convert and otherwise promising drives will stall (this will likely be the source of the greatest angst for the UM faithful).
6. Appropos #5, Henne, under pressure in third and long situations, will force a throw or two and give up at least one interception; ND will win the turnover battle 2-1.
7. Weis will wear down the UM defense by winning the all important time of possession battle, a factor which will be especially evident by the end of the first half and into the fourth quarter.
8. The game is being played in SB.
I'm expecting a good first half that is relatively close, followed by ND running away with the game in the 2nd half.
ND 38 UM 14
It's "apropos." And you're using it wrong anyway.