Notre Dame

We're going to hit you in the mouth.

Geez.

There are still a few quarters to go.  We are going to hit you in the mouth again.

For those of us who have never seen one, here is a picture of Hassan Haskins.  This is his recruiting profile. 

I don't think Notre Dame is as bad as they played.  Maybe they did not take Michigan seriously.  For them it was not as big a game as USC.  Who else do they play that is dominant or in a really good league?  They play an ACC schedule more or less but they do not play Clemson.

Michigan won big because Notre Dame could not stop Michigan's running backs (and the occasional Shea scamper).  Haskins had a huge day.  The truth is he has been good at running hard, making moves, and breaking tackles all year.  He is fun to watch because he gets yards!  He is strong.  I don't know about trying to jump over people who are standing up, but he is an energetic guy.  And Zach Charbonnet, if there is room he will make yards.  It seems the offensive line played well--there were not a lot of TFLs or sacks--but I don't really know how they suddenly became that much better.  Tru too gained yards.

Before I forget, there was a Luigi Vilain siting!

The other probably bigger reason Michigan won was the defense.  The whole team came out with a spring in their step, but the defense was off the charts.  Notre Dame never really threatened on offense.  Let's go through the names again:  Paye, Hutchinson, Kemp, Uche; Danna too has played very well.  It is hard to say why McGrone has made such an immediate impact, but part of it has to be Glasgow and Hudson surrounding him.  The three of them make a lot of tackles right at the line of scrimmage.  Glasgow in particular has become so strong he is a very sure tackler.  All of them, including Kemp and Hutchinson, jump on the ballcarrier whenever and wherever they can.

Michigan has an experienced and very good secondary in Hawkins, Metellus, Thomas, and Hill.  Daxton Hill and Gray play a lot too.  Gray, lanky and a good cover guy, looks to be getting stronger and more aggressive in run support, but he is also a pass interference machine; D. Hill has it all.  Lavert Hill was seldom in the TV frame probably because ND stayed away from him.  They are nasty at least in part because they hold whenever they can.

Michigan received a lucky PI call but they commit plenty themselves too.  Glasgow had his arm wrapped-around and he was in the way of the receiver on the great 4th-down breakup.  There is no question it is part of the strategy.  If you are beat, do it.  Even if you hand-fight all game long and get called once, it is OK.  They are always grabbing and holding.  Michigan State will be something to watch:  How many pass interference calls will there be between the two teams and how will they impact the outcome of the game?

David Long did not stay at Michigan for that long.  I guess he didn't need the repetitions.

Teams do not get much bigger in terms of top OL and DL recruits than Notre Dame.  You can't blame it on the weather.  Senior quarterback Ian Book and the running backs, all big recruits, did nothing.  Michigan's front seven stopped them cold.

Michigan has all the weapons on offense.  Shea had three fumbles, including the left-handed, backward pass.  They will go as far as...

Next week at Maryland is going to be a cakewalk like no other.  Boy did D.J. Durkin do a job on Maryland.  They started out fast but it was all smoke and mirrors.  Mike Locksley, he of the 6-36 lifetime record and 96" waistline, was a terrible hire.  Creative offensive mind?  It did not go so well against mighty Minnesota.

But don't look ahead.  Mike just might wait until after the game (10 AM Mountain start) for dinner.

Then comes Sparty at home.

Can you win the Big Ten East with two losses?  Let's not go there.