Michigan Destroyed Notre Dame 45-14; Hurrah to Harbaugh; POTFI

Torrential rain was falling in the Big House Saturday Night. Torrents of Wolverines were sliding through fightless Irish, who prepared a suicidal game plan, or was it arrogance. The Domers had two weeks to prepare for the game; the weather forecast had been ominous for days. Yet they were unprepared! Go figure! Touchdown Jesus doesn’t do road trips. The Four Horsemen on the Apocalypse, Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley, and Layden have long since faded into the sunset. Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, and Holtz can’t help. Brian Kelly was on his own. His face was frozen except when berating players or scowling at officials. Michigan went to the run; Notre dame to QB Ian Book in a driving torrential rainstorm. He recorded 73 passing yards on 11 completions out of 29 attempts. What were they thinking? The score should have been 45-0. The Irish’s first touchdown came after Brad Hawkins cleanly intercepted a Notre Dame pass. An official called a phantom pass interference call against Michigan. Even the broadcast booth couldn’t see a pass interference. (Michigan has received several questionable calls this season). The second touchdown was during garbage time at the end of the game. The rain was pouring; the winds were howling and Notre Dame called passes on 13 out of its first 28 offensive plays. What were they thinking? Michigan ran the ball on 20 of its first 22 plays and 34 of its 38 first half plays. Notre Dame upheld its reputation for weak run defenses. Michigan’s offense gained 303 yards on the ground. Hassam Haskins ran for 149 yards on 20 plays while Zach Charbonnet rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns for the Wolverines. Notre Dame’s total yards gained rushing were 47 and 160 overall. Tony Jones, Jr, Notre dame’s great running, back had 18 yards on 6 carries. His blockers were AWOL. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has a lead contamination cleanup problem. Notre dame football in South Bend has a lead foot problem. Two magnificent catches by Chase Claypool for 42 yards. That was his total. Of course Michigan poured it on Notre Dame in the pouring rain. Notre Dame would have done the same if it had the chance. The Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry has a tortured history. Michigan’s great Fielding Yost believed Notre Dame was cheating, so he stopped scheduling Notre Dame in 1908. He later blocked Notre Dame’s entry into the Big Ten. Notre Dame remained an independent, the most successful in college football history. The two college football goliaths of the Midwest met twice during World War II, but that was just a lull. The Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry resumed in 1978, creating an instant modern rivalry to join the Notre Dame - USC, Michigan - Ohio State, and Michigan - Michigan State rivalries. Notre Dame’s athletic director cancelled the series after the 2014 game – a great loss for college football. The two teams proved their equality after the century hiatus with each winning 17 games in the revival. Some were blowouts, and some final second miracles. All were great games. They won’t play again until 2033 unless they meet in a bowl game.