Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/163197
Game Preview: Michigan beat Michigan and a second straight appearance in a BCS bowl would appear promising. Lose to the Wolverines and a 9-3 or worse finish with a second-tier bowl is the probable outcome. 'It Doesn't Have To Be Close' Typically, the Notre Dame-Michigan game comes down to the final possession or final seconds. That has happened in 20 of the 29 times (14-14-1) the two teams have met since 1978, including the last four. • Michigan scored a touchdown with 11 seconds left in 2009 for a 38-34 triumph. • The Wolverines tallied the gamewinning touchdown with 27 seconds left in 2010 for a 28-24 conquest. • In 2011, Michigan trailed 31-28 and was backed up at its 20 with only 30 seconds remaining before scoring with two seconds left in a remarkable 35-31 win. • Last year, Notre Dame finally broke the drought with a 13-6 victory in which the Irish were able to run out the last 3:27 while converting third-andfour and third-and-eight situations. The pattern in this series usually has been two, three or even four straight contests that come down to the closing seconds — followed by a romp. One of the more famous such moments occurred in 1987, Lou Holtz's second season as Notre Dame's head coach. The previous three meetings between the Irish and Wolverines all had come down to the final series, including the year before when Notre Dame recordsetting and future Pro Bowl kicker John Carney's 45-yard field goal hooked left with 13 seconds left in a 24-23 defeat. The 1987 game in Ann Arbor was expected to be another nip-and-tuck affair, but Holtz delivered one message to his team prior to the game: "It doesn't have to be close." Notre Dame won, 26-7, to this day its largest margin of victory against the Wolverines since the series renewed in 1978. During that time, the Irish hold an 11-8-1 edge over Michigan in games decided by one score, but Michigan has a 6-3 advantage in double-digit victories, highlighted by 47-21 and 38-0 routs in 2006 and 2007. Division I FBS All-Time Won-Lost Records By Percentage School 1. Michigan 2. Notre Dame 3. Boise State 4. Oklahoma 5. Texas 6. Alabama 7. Ohio State 8. Nebraska 9. Southern Cal 10. Tennessee Games 1,255 1,209 539 1,195 1,236 1,192 1,219 1,250 1,161 1,207 Pct. .73466 .73366 .72171 .71841 .71561 .71267 .70919 .70120 .70112 .68476 W 904 866 388 832 868 828 838 856 787 800 LT 315 36 301 42 149 2 310 53 334 33 321 43 316 53 353 41 320 54 354 53