Wolverines Blogging: What a Game!

Before I begin, a disclaimer of sorts. Of all of UoFM's many rivals, it's Notre Dame I hate the most. Oh sure, I'm obligated to despise Ohio State and, having run the gauntlet to Ohio for a game or two, with good cause. But that's a hatred born out of respect, out of mutual fear that the other is going to be the one to end that perfect season. And since I'm from Michigan I reserve a special type of nonchalant disdain for the in-state rival, MSU. But that's only because it's shoved in your face nearly every day of the week from those who live and die by the possesion of the Paul Bunyan Axe, thanks to the low self-esteem of the Spartans who, like a young girl reading Cosmo are hopelessly comparing themselves to a standard they can't reach. Notre Dame I just flat out loathe. They represent the worst of college football with their special status, their unique standing, and the way everyone still respects them not because of what they've done lately but because of their vaunted history. It's the games that Michigan drops in the Golden Dome on a last minute spurt of the old Irish magic that sting the worst. So, forgive me for any rhetorical excess but the claws come out when the dirty, filthy Irish try to bring their fight to the Ann's fair Arbor.

This year's match was one for the books, though. A tense, hard fought affair that seesawed back and forth. It looked like the Irish were going to pull the rabbit out of their hat again with some late trickeration before they were pounded back into submission and sent packing with their first loss of the season. Michigan remains undefeated and it's on to next week for a titanic showdown with one of the Big Ten's worst kept secrets, a resurgent, hungry Penn State as the conference schedule kicks off with a bang.

But enough about what actually happened, let's check back in on that persistent figment of my imagination, that strange little world where the Wolverines dropped both games to start this season. And, the Irish, instead of regrouping strong after a disappointing season by replacing several key positions have fallen into their own shambles. They've dropped their first two games, their former starting quarterback's transfered, and they're going with an untested rookie in this, a pivotal game. Of course, Michigan is, too, since the Bizarro Henne instead of rising in the Heisman standings has gone down with an injury leaving stud recruit Mallet to helm the team. Heading into the match, they each teetered on the brink of ruin. Or as close to ruin as an 0-3 in collegiate athletics will bring you.

In this depressing and, I must stress, imaginary world, the game was about as pathetic as the teams involved. Michigan laying a pasting on Notre Dame that makes last year's blowout seem tame. It was 38-0, a shutout as the Wolverines showed flashes of the promise they've so squandered. Michigan fans are )already falling for the flash of brilliance, their dreamy eyes full of stars and Big Ten titles. But they're just setting themselves up for disappointment for next week, the Nittany Lions come calling. And in this world, they're not an unheralded team on the fringes of the top 25 just waiting to make their mark, but, so far, the class of a damaged Big Ten that's seen mighty OSU and promising Wisconsin fall into mediocrity although with Michigan's death spiral.

It's as hard to blame those fans as it is to pity them. Because, on the merits of this one, single game it might seem as though all is right with the Wolverine nation.

The rookie quarterback for the Wolverines didn't exactly set the world on fire in his first start. He went 7 for 15 for only 90 yards, though he did throw for 18 points. More importantly, he took care of the ball. No fumbles, no interceptions, and he did everything he needed to give his team a chance to win. Clausen, hi s old high school rival wasn't any better, going 11 of 17 for 74 yards and an INT while taking seven sacks.

The real difference was on the ground, where Michigan piled up nearly 300 yards rushing including 187 fro Mike Hart. It took a 4th quarter drive to keep from breaking their record of -12 yards. They still finished in the negative with -6, though.

But dismantling a hated rival can be misleading. The thing is, Notre Dame is terrible this year. Awful. If it wasn't for Michigan's swan dive in the first two weeks, their ineptitude would have been the story of the season so far. Coming into the game, they were at the bottom, out of all 119 D-I teams, in just about everything that matters.

This wasn't a game the Wolverines won, it was one the Irish lost. Their offense couldn't get anything done, they turned the ball over and killed their own drives. It was easy for Michigan's Keystone Corps defense to look good against a team that pitiful. And for their own struggling offense to looked good, because it's pretty easy when you're playing on your opponent's side of the field all day. Not that hard to score when you only have 50 yards to go and a gassed defense that's kept on the field over long.

No, beating the Irish, in what I must again reaffirm is a fictional world before I shatter the fragile mental health of many a Michigan fan, isn't cause for celebration. It's but the first step on the road back to respectability. The real test comes next week, if the Wolverines can pass that exam, then maybe their fans can start to feel better. Because, for now, all beating Notre Dame means is that they're not the absolute worst team in college football. And that's nothing to boast about.