Instant Analysis: Notre Dame-Michigan

Michigan gained some much-needed confidence and a victory today. Notre Dame gained virtually nothing... literally.

Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines got healthy on a happy Saturday in Ann Arbor, but while the home team played with passion and precision, it's impossible to deny that Notre Dame had more than a little to do with Michigan's transformed body language and vastly improved fortunes.

With a series of football follies that would make the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers blush, the Irish offense made 3rd and 25 a regular occurrence throughout a first half in which Charlie Weis' team gained 11--yes, 11--total yards. To make things worse, those yards came on a fake punt that represented the most exciting scrimmage play for Notre Dame in the first 30 minutes of (non-)action. Jimmy Clausen and his teammates had gained zero yards by the time they trudged to the locker room at halftime. Throw in a few turnovers leading to short fields for Michigan, and the Wolverines didn't need freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett to do anything spectacular. He just had to manage the game and hand off the pigskin to Mike Hart, who slashed through Notre Dame's defense for 135 first-half yards. The rout was on, and by halftime, the issue was decided. A 31-0 lead against Notre Dame's offense is as safe as it gets in contemporary college football.

Michigan now has new life and a vital jolt of momentum heading into Big Ten play. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has no life whatsoever. The next time the Irish truly show up to play a football game in 2007 will be their first.