0.7449 Bitches!

I really don't have even a somewhat in-depth analysis of this game, everything about it kicked ass. The only thing that really bothered me was that Michigan didn't score 55. Henne recoverd admirably from his pick, Manningham ass-raped the Notre Dame corners, and Mike Hart was Mike Hart. Even the much-maligned (by me, at least) pass blocking held up. Whipping-boy Reuben Riley, while far from dominant, held his own. I guess Michigan really was holding alot back from the playbook. DeBord had some nice, aggresive play calls early which helped open up the game. They got conservative in the 2nd half, but I can't disagree too much with that. The coaching staff had a well-placed confidence in the defense.

How do I feel about what the defense did? Remember that old Saturday Night Live sketch with Rob Schneider where he acted like he was having an orgasm when talking about the Buffalo Bills no-huddle offense? Well, that's kind of how I feel. They were completely dominant. The defense proved that all the preseason talk about being faster, leaner, more aggressive and just simply better was not just talk. In recent years the defense has been, at best, bend-but-don't-break and at worst, just break. Not anymore. This defense forces the action. They did this thing called "blitzing" that has been a pretty foreign concept in Ann Arbor in recent years, especially in big games. The d-line, despite rampant holding, was constantly in the back field. The D completely shut down Notre Dame's running game (FOUR FREAKIN" YARDS!) and the corners played as tight and aggresively as I have seen in years. When Notre Dame did complete a pass, the ballcarrier was swarmed almost immediately. The rushing yards weren't the only amazing statistic. 245 total yards surrendered, less than five yards per pass, 11 non-penalty first downs and five turnovers. Notre Dame had one first down in the first 27:20 of play. Mind-boggling. Missed tackles, poor angles, guys arriving too late, that all seems but a distant memory now.

Here's some other thoughts:

• The shades are a good look for Lloyd Carr. Kind of like the Terminator except older, flabbier, and without the ability to do that cool thing where he duplicates someone's voice. I also liked his demeanor throughout the game, you could tell he really meant business. He really had his "game face" on (cue Bobby Knight rant).

• Henne's accuracy has really improved. Those last two TD passes to Manningham were perfect. He couldn't have thrown them any better. Compare that to last year when he sailed a pass over wide-open Jason Avant in the end zone versus Wisconsin.

• Mario Manningham--muah! The moves he put on those corners? Wow. His jersey is going to have alot more open space on it in the future.
  

• I have to admit, I kind of drank the kool-aid on Brady Quinn. The reality is, he just isn't a great QB. If he has time to throw, he's great, but if he gets any kind of pressure he crumbles. The looks on his face throughout the game were priceless. I found it interesting that Weis left him in the game so long. The slapstick-y sequence of his fumble and Woodley's rumble into the end zone was the fitting end to Quinn's day.

• Speaking of Weis, I respect him some more after the props he gave to Michigan after the game.
  

• It's nice to see Burgess finally living up to his potential. He's like a totally different player.

• In my opinion, the game really turned on the Grimes fumble. At that point, Notre Dame was only down six and had yet to have the life sucked out of them. Plus, they had the momentum from blocking the extra point. Instead, Michigan gets the ball back, scores and all the sudden Notre Dame is staring down a 20-7 deficit in the first quarter. Just a totally back-breaking series of events for the Irish.
  

Like I said in the live blog, I am so very proud of this team. For me personally, it was one of the most satisfying wins in my lifetime. I'm still on cloud nine right now, even with that egg the Lions laid in Chicago. I decided yesterdy that I wasn't going to let that team of puds bring me down from my high. Just thinking about yesterday and re-watching the game makes me all tingly.

For the program, this is the biggest win since OSU in '03 and one of the biggest in recent memory. It specifically reminds me alot of the Penn State game in '97. Those kids and coaches had to deal with a lot of shit over the past few months and they decided they were going to go to South Bend and not only win, but make a statement. They did. To go into South Bend and embarrass that team in front of their own fans while simultaneously ending (at least for the time being) the tongue-bathing of Notre Dame and exposing Weis and Quinn as mere mortals was the perfect result.

Although I will say it is a bit unnerving to have people like Mark May on the Michigan bandwagon, it is nice to see Michigan getting national respect. Now Michigan has to live up to the hype, they're no longer a sleeper. I like to think of this as the "Michigan Revenge Tour 2006." They have a chance for revenge in three straight weeks and then, of course, that team down south. Tour stop number one was a success, now it's on to Wisconsin.