Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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.0013 Percentage points No. 1 Notre Dame is ahead of No. 2 Michigan on the all-time winning percentage chart. Notre Dame had a .0006 lead going into the game and would have fallen behind .0003 had it lost. The Irish are now at .7334 (876-305-42) while the Wolverines are .7321 (911-322-36). 5-0 Notre Dame's home record in night games against Michigan. It is 4-2 in its six other such contests for an overall mark of 9-2. The Fighting Irish victories versus the Wolverines came in 1982 (23-17), the first ever night game in Notre Dame Stadium, 1988 (19-17), 1990 (28-24), 2012 (13-6) and now. The Wolverines are 6-5-1 at Notre Dame Stadium in day games. 8 Straight quarters Michigan has played in Notre Dame Stadium without scoring a touchdown. The Wolverines managed two field goals in a 13-6 loss in 2012, but missed both of their field goal tries in this year's 31-0 defeat. BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI What Worked • Slants and passing across the middle — Michi- gan's one-on-one coverage on the outside was burned by senior quarterback Everett Golson's pinpoint accuracy. Although the Irish receivers dropped several passes, the grabs that senior slot Amir Carlisle (seven catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns) and sophomore wideout William Fuller (nine catches for 89 yards and one score) repeatedly made in the clutch while beating single coverage were routes they could not be called upon for last year. Carlisle caught a pass running just about every route, the most impressive one a 21-yard strike by the sideline in which he mirrored Golson's scram- bling to his right and kept his feet in bounds amidst tight coverage. • Containing Devin Gardner — The Michigan quarterback scorched Notre Dame last season with a game-high 82 rushing yards, repeatedly dodging a strong rush and extending plays either for his receivers or himself to take off downfield. This year, junior tackles Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones consistently collapsed the pocket, but Gard- ner was not able to do any damage with his elusive- ness to the outside while finishing with only five yards rushing. • Winning the field position battle — Kick cover- age was a huge liability last year. Senior kicker Kyle Brindza has solved that issue the first two weeks with 12 of his 15 kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. The "hidden yardage" from the return game and coverage provided Notre Dame a field position advantage throughout the night. Michigan's average starting possession in each quarter was its 24, 19, 14 and 30 respectively, and it never entered the Irish red zone. What Didn't Work • The running game — Michigan loaded the front against Notre Dame and held it to 54 yards rushing on 31 attempts, with none of the 25 carries by the three Irish running backs netting more than six yards. The figure looks remarkably similar to the second game of the magical 2012 regular season when Notre Dame totaled 52 yards on 36 carries in its 13-6 win over the Wolverines. There does seem to be a reluctance to use senior quarterback Everett Golson as a running threat in the read option. A sprint misdirection play was incorporated, but it gained only four yards, and senior running back Cam McDaniel, who is more proficient between the tackles, might not have been the best choice for speed to the outside on that play. — Lou Somogyi TAKING A CLOSER LOOK