Hail To The Victors!!!!!

[WolverineSteve]

It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine!!!

Lloyd hangs damn near a half a hundred on Chuckie!!!

This defense has a chance to be special.

Fuck the media for gargling the Irish nutsacks and writing off Michigan.

Shame on Shoalzie for picking against the Blue.

Rack the fuck out of Henne, Hart, and Manningham.

Oh yeah... Rack Prescott Burgess.


I will now consume many coors lights.

[WolverineSteve]

Live post game..
http://www.nbcsports.com/cfb_notredame/feature.html#

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I will now consume many coors lights.

You've already lost.

[WolverineSteve]

I will now consume many coors lights.

You've already lost.

Can I have my moment? Ya rotten prick.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Great win.

[BlindRef]

Jeeeezus fucking Christ.

I just jumped on someone's wi-fi so that I could get online here and check in.

What a fucking game.

We OWN ND.

More when I get out of South Bend.

Go Blue

Its great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

[Dinsdale]

Not sure if I'd call that a "win."

It was more like a "statement."

[WolverineSteve]

Listened to the postgame presser.....

Rack Weiss. It is so hard not to like and/or respect this cat. A complete stand up guy. He took the blame, propped Lloyd and the Wolverines, answered every question patiently and with a good attitude. He is a classy guy running a class program. Once it's his guys executing his offense...look out.

[Sky]

Once it's his guys executing his offense...look out.

Fuck this shit...he hasn't beat anyone he should not have beaten. And apparently, he can't beat teams he is supposed to beat (7.5 pt favorite).

[Qbert]

Once it's his guys executing his offense...look out.

Fuck this shit...he hasn't beat anyone he should not have beaten. And apparently, he can't beat teams he is supposed to beat (7.5 pt favorite).

indeed.

enough of the Golden Homer stuff.

WAY to REPRESENT Michigan!

an EPIC Biiiiitch~slapping.

its gonna make November even Better!

[Sky]

Damn right....I just hope we both finish it out undefeated and play for all the marbles.

[Jimmy Medalions]

Just got back from the Coliseum. WOW. Hats off to Michigan for the beatdown - I really didn't see it coming.

RACK the madness that is college football

[quacker backer]

that was a asskicking

[StrandedTexan]

So, what happens now? Does Michigan's victory over a finally exposed-sub par-media darling Notre Dame squad mean they are headed to the National Title game? Does anyone think that? Realistically?

[peter dragon]

So, what happens now? Does Michigan's victory over a finally exposed-sub par-media darling Notre Dame squad mean they are headed to the National Title game? Does anyone think that? Realistically?

they wont make it out of C-Bus in November. If they finish undefeated and OSU is Undefeated.. look for it to be 1 OSU 2 Michigan. it would make the game even sweeter and the ratings even higher. Plus 1 month later you get another 1v2. would make for an awesome end to the CFB season

[Van]

ST, if Michigan runs the table and beats #1 OSU late in the year, yeah, there'll be no keeping Michigan out of the title game.

That big of a win that late in the year would be too much for anybody else to overcome.

Unless UCLA runs the table USC now can't have any late season marquee wins like that. Thanks, ND.

Auburn just got their Big Win and they weren't all that impressive in doing so plus there's nobody in the SEC East that's really all that frightening so where will Auburn find a late season marquee game that'll be anything close to OSU-Michigan? They won't. There isn't anything there for them of that magnitude.

So, yeah, as it stands now if everybody runs the table then the winner of the OSU-Michigan game will play either USC or Auburn in the title game and just like '04 Auburn will likely get fucked again and w'll all be screaming about needing to burn down the BCS system...

Oh, and yes, I'm conspicuously not including either W. Virginia or Louisville into this. No way in hell either of those two teams gets in over an undefeated USC, Auburn or Michigan-OSU winner.

[Van]

If they finish undefeated and OSU is Undefeated.. look for it to be 1 OSU 2 Michigan.

Assuming everybody else also wins out how will Michigan leapfrog USC and Auburn before they play OSU?

The only way we get a #1 vs #2 OSU-Michigan match up is if the other teams in front of Michigan lose. Otherwise, at best, you'd be looking at #1 vs #4. I'd then expect that winner to go into the title game ranked #1.

Before this week I'd thought that only OSU, USC and ND truly controlled their title game destiny in that they were the only three teams left who'd be locks to get to the title game by running the table.

I forgot about Michigan, who could trump ND.

Michigan now controls their title game destiny.

Hell, come to think of it, since the road to the title game now runs through OSU and USC there might be a few other teams that still control their own destinies...

-Iowa
-Michigan St
-Oregon
-UCLA

Basically, you've gotta be a major BCS conference undefeated team right now and you have to have either USC or OSU still on your schedule.

[peter dragon]

Basically, you've gotta be a major BCS conference undefeated team right now and you have to have either USC or OSU still on your schedule.

so your saying Cal has a chance?

[Van]

Peter, pay attention. Cal only needs three more losses and then they'll be a no brainer for the BCS title game.

Wakey Wake!!

[Terry in Crapchester]

Props to Michigan. Great gameplan and execution. I'm still shaking my head over the five turnovers, after zero in the first two games, but Michigan definitely had a little to do with that.

I said earlier that we'd know by the end of September if we're a legitimate national championship contender. We're obviously not. We can still salvage a BCS bowl bid out of this season, but we're gonna have to get a lot better to do that.

Again, props to Michigan. I definitely didn't see this coming, certainly not in this fashion.

[OUMO]

I will now consume many coors lights.

What?

That is cowboy piss where I come from.

[WolverineSteve]

I will now consume many coors lights.

What?

That is cowboy piss where I come from.

Listen you damn beer snobs...you drink what you want, I'll do the same.

When you're getting into full celebration mode, as was the case last night, you need a beer you can drink a dozen or so of. No way that's happening with any of those thick micro's or import brewski's.

[Shoalzie]

Shame on Shoalzie for picking against the Blue.

I deserve that but you can never accuse me of being a blatant myopian. Believe me, I wanted to pick Michigan but there just wasn't enough to show me they were ready for that game yesterday and the Irish were battle-tested. We saw yesterday, it almost looked like the opposite. That was one of the most impressive performances I've seen out of Michigan in a long time. I looked at those three key road games as being the make-or-break points for this year's team and they've gotten over the first hurdle. You have to be careful for the letdown factor next week against Wisconsin but as long as this team is prepared next week like they were for this game, they'll beat the Badgers pretty easily. The three game stretch coming up in October...hosting State, at Penn State and hosting Iowa...that'll be the next big challenge for them to get to the Ohio State game in a position to play for the conference crown and maybe a national title. Don't want to get too far ahead of myself...can't win them all unless until you win the next one.

RACK oyd...

[Mr T]

Rack michigan.

They cant use this loss to prop up the nd media machine like they did with the USC loss last year.

[Screw_Michigan]

i'll rack scU-M for absolutely blowing up the fighting micks and taking a shit in ND Stadium before leaving, and i never rack scU-M. the local papers were WAY too nice to the domers today. headlines like "out of reach" and "irish drop the ball." uh no, dropping the ball is losing by a field goal or blowing an opportunity for a win. ND was absolutely humiliated on saturday.

[RadioFan]

RACK Michigan.

What a fucking beadown and what a statement.

Henne had some amazing throws in that game. Go ahead a replace Brady Quinn's name with his in the Heisman race.

[WolverineSteve]

i'll rack scU-M for absolutely blowing up the fighting micks and taking a shit in ND Stadium before leaving, and i never rack scU-M. the local papers were WAY too nice to the domers today. headlines like "out of reach" and "irish drop the ball." uh no, dropping the ball is losing by a field goal or blowing an opportunity for a win. ND was absolutely humiliated on saturday.

This guy did a nice job....

http://www.nbcsports.com/cfb/93450/detail.html

When the levee breaks
By John Walters
NBCSports.comThe University of Michigan marching band performed songs from Led Zeppelin during its halftime show at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. While the Wolverine band did not have time to alter its set list, "Trampled Under Foot" would have been a timely addition.

The Michigan Wolverines -- the school that had not won a game in South Bend since 1994; the school who had a six-game losing streak in road openers this millennium; the school without a single returning All-American player or magazine cover (not even regionally) -- went from being a Midwest afterthought to a national front-runner in this House of the Holy this afternoon. The Wolverines won 47-21 in a game that was not even that close.

One week after Ohio State appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and on the same weekend that publication was in town working on a Jeff Samardzija-Tom Zbikowski feature, the Wolverines reminded everyone that, uh, they just happen to still be the winningest program in college football history.

"I want to make sure that I give proper credit to Michigan," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said afterward. "I think it's really only right to give just due to your opponent who just kicked your butt."

The Wolverines so thoroughly dominated the Irish that, if I may invoke a song title from another iconic band, the words "the last time" were constantly reverberating throughout the press box. As in …


• The last time Notre Dame gave up 34 points in the first half was in 2002 at Michigan State.

• The last time Notre Dame allowed 34 first-half points at home was on October 1, 1960, versus Purdue (which was also the last time the Irish allowed 47 points at home, as the Boilermakers won 51-19


Jonathan Daniels/Getty Images
At one point in the game Prescott Burgess seemed to be Brady Quinn's favorite target. • The last time an opponent scored as early against the Irish as Wolverine linebacker Prescott Burgess did (41 seconds into the game) on his interception return was 1979.

•The last time the Irish were held to 4 net yards rushing was ... well, give the Notre Dame sports information staff time, they're unscrolling the papyrus as we speak.


So thorough was the Michigan butt-whipping that the Irish did not even gain a first down in either the first or third quarter. As the 4th quarter began, Michigan's Burgess had caught as many of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn's passes as had first team All-American Jeff Samardzija.

Which is why this could be the last time anyone mentions the Irish as national championship contenders this season.


No Quarter ... in the First Quarter

Early on, it looked as if this could be a classic. Burgess intercepted Quinn's pass that tipped off the shoulder pad of tight end John Carlson and ran it in 31 yards to the end zone untouched for a 7-0 Michigan lead. But then, on the third play of the Wolverines' first series, Irish linebacker Travis Thomas blitzed up the middle. Michigan quarterback Chad Henne was forced to rush his throw and thus, like Quinn, had his first pass attempt of the day intercepted. Irish safety Chinedum Ndukwe made the pick and ran it back 51 yards before pressure by Henne forced him to step out of bounds at the Michigan four.

Two plays later Quinn found fullback Ashley McConnell (filling in for an injured Asaph Schwapp) in the left corner for a touchdown. The reception was the first of the senior's career, but it made the score 7-7.

And that is when the Wolverines took command. Unleashing a defensive front seven that was BFS (Bigger Faster Stronger), Michigan scored four unanswered touchdowns against the Irish. With just over one minute to play in the first half, Michigan led 34-7.


Ramble on
Jonathan Daniels/Getty Images
Mario Manningham burnt the Irish secondary all afternoon and caught three touchdowns. Three of Michigan's four unanswered scores came on pass plays to sophomore Mario Manningham, the most lethal M.M. from eastern Michigan since Marshall Mathers. Manningham, whose previous fame had come via a game-winning touchdown catch after the clock had expired against Penn State last Oct. 15, only caught three passes in the first half. But not one of those receptions ended in a tackle.

The sophomore from Warren, Ohio, scored on touchdown catches of 69, 20 and 22 yards in the first half, leaving no doubt as to whom the best receiver in this game was.

"We've got some guys who can run," said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr afterward. " Mario Manningham, I think the sky's the limit for him. Mario is a guy that we feel is going to be very difficult for one guy to cover."

Notre Dame corners Ambrose Wooden and Mike Richardson would likely reluctantly agree. On Manningham's first touchdown, Henne lofted a gorgeous spiral up the right hashmark to him that Manningham caught 40 yards downfield on a dead run. When the ball fell into his arms, he was already 7 yards behind a badly burned Wooden.

"We had a call, 'Alert: take a shot'," said Weis in the news conference following the debacle. In other words, and this is almost more depressing if you're an Irish fan, Manningham did not fool the defense. He just sped by them.

In fact, the only person able to stop Manningham this afternoon was an anonymous member of the Michigan band whom the speedy sophomore ran into after catching his third touchdown pass, another pinpoint spiral from Henne, in the deep left corner of the south end zone. Manningham hurt his wrist on the play, and missed parts of the third quarter.


Good times, bad times

Quinn, who finished the first quarter with three yards passing, did not put together a real touchdown drive until the final two minutes of the first half. Starting on its own 28, Quinn took the Irish on an eight-play drive that included seven completions in as many attempts. Sophomore David Grimes made an amazing effort to stay inbounds on one 20-yard reception and on the following play Samardzija caught a 4-yard TD pass to close the gap to 34-14.

Suddenly Irish fans were doing the seven-times table in their heads, working the math on what would have to be an improbable second-half comeback. The Wolverine defense never withered, though, holding the Irish to just two of 14 on third-down conversions.

By the fourth quarter, when the Wolverines were not only repelling the Irish comeback but actually building upon their halftime edge, it was all any fan in a blue "Tradition" T-shirt could do to stay optimistic.

"I gotta be honest," said Weis, a class of '78 alum. "When I was here in school, I might have been in the parking lot tailgating already."


Trampled under foot

As ethereal as Henne (13-for-22 for 220 yards and 3 TDs) played, and as awesome as the Manningham Steamroller looked in front of 80,795 fans today, Michigan simply outsocked the Irish at the line of scrimmage. Notre Dame finished with just four yards rushing to the Wolverines' 120. Quinn was sacked three times but hurried many others and hit many others. His second interception, returned by Burgess 35 yards to the Irish 4, was caused when 6-6, 331 pound Michigan defensive tackle Alan Branch hit his arm as he threw.


Jonathan Daniels/Getty Images
Charlie Weis was left to wonder what went wrong all afternoon against Michigan.After the game Quinn was asked what Michigan's defense had done to confuse him. "Nothing," replied Quinn, who threw three interceptions and three touchdown passes today. "They made the plays that they needed to."

Michigan was simply more aggressive, more physical, and more mean. On Notre Dame's final serious offensive drive, as Michigan fans in the south end zone seats taunted them with cheers of "Rudy!" and "Overrated", the Wolverines were flagged twice for late hits. On the second, Burgess hit Irish running back Darius Walker out of bounds on the Irish sideline and into the kicker's net.

As Walker sprawled into the net, Irish kicker Carl Gioia, who stands 5-10, 170 pounds yelled something that begins with the letter F at Burgess, who is an imposing 6-3, 225. Burgess just stared for a long moment at Gioia as if to say, "You don't seriously want a piece of this fight."

It was an attitude the Wolverines had all afternoon, up until the very last snap. On that play Henne, who was 0-2 as a starter against the Irish before today, took a knee and then held the ball aloft in the palm of his hand for everyone to see.

Hail Mary. No, on this day, Hail to the Victors.


Over the hills and far away

Entering today's game the Irish had faced back-to-back ranked opponents a dozen times since 1992. In that span Notre Dame had failed to sweep the two-game set ten times out of twelve. One of those two exceptions occurred last year, when the Weis era opened with consecutive wins at No. 23 Pittsburgh and No. 3 Michigan. Those victories seemed to usher in a new epoch in South Bend, a time when the Irish would at least be competitive in every game. Even in last January's Fiesta Bowl loss against Ohio State, it was only in the secondary where the Irish looked truly outclassed.

Until today. This afternoon in South Bend gave voice to all those old rumblings about the Irish not having the same class of athlete as the big-time powers. Michigan's wide receivers were faster. Their linemen outmuscled the Irish trench workers, and their linebackers eliminated any angles that Darius Walker attempted to gain on the outside. Their secondary frustrated Samardzija all afternoon. The only Irish player who really racked up the yardage was kickoff returner David Grimes ... but then again, he had oh so many chances.

Weis was asked if he was surprised that the Wolverines had "out-physicaled" his team so badly. "I was surprised that we collectively, from me on down, laid an egg," said Weis.

The Irish are 2-1 for the third consecutive season (and 2-1, if we may extrapolate from the sign that hangs in the Notre Dame weight room, "is not good enough"). After three games Darius Walker still has yet to gain 100 yards and, despite that mirage you may have witnessed against Penn State, the offense has yet to truly find its rhythm.

The national championship is not worth discussing at this point. Neither is a Heisman for Quinn, whose timing with his receivers, especially, and surprisingly, Samardzija, is not in sync. Those preseason dreams have disappeared over the hills and far away. There is no doubt that the Irish have not yet had a breather game this season, but still it is shocking how easily Michigan manhandled them today. It is a day that rendered Weis, his players, and even their admirably loyal student body, dazed and confused.

[PSUFAN]

That was a shocking beatdown.

Just two weeks ago I had convinced myself that 2006 might be Paterno's year to break his chain of gutless losses to UM...I am not thinking that any longer.

I'm not much given to Heisman hyperbole, but Henne looks like a worthy candidate at this point.

[Killian]

Rack Michigan for a complete and total ass kicking.

I could pull an mVito and say they were 27 or so playes away from a win, but that isn't the truth. Weis got completely outcoached and Ron English appears to be a very, very good DC.

ND shot themselves in the foot numerous times, and UofM was right there to take advantage of every single opportunity. English attacked the weakness in ND's oline and forced Quinn to start throwing balls at the feet and over the heads of receivers. When he was on target, ND had a number of drops.

The game changed in the second quarter after ND forced UofM to punt with the game tied at 7. On third and five Quinn overthew a wide open Walker in the flat who would have gotten 10. After that, UofM jumped up and down on ND's throat the rest of the game.

Weis has been out coached in 3 of his last 4 games. Time for the "genius" to start making some changes, both in the lineup and with his play calling.

[Loganfan]

Rack the Wolverines for that ass-kicking.



That's about all I can say......i'm all cussed out. Fuckers drove me to watch the SDSU game the 2nd half.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

It'll be interesting to see when/if the media does a 180 on Weis if he continues to lose against the top teams. You know they'll wait it out as long as possible because they can't stand being wrong, but if this keeps up, they won't have a choice.

[Killian]

It'll be interesting to see when/if the media does a 180 on Weis if he continues to lose against the top teams. You know they'll wait it out as long as possible because they can't stand being wrong, but if this keeps up, they won't have a choice.

They'll do it in a heart beat. They don't give a shit if they are wrong, they are most of the time. It will be easy for them to point out more comparisons with Willingham.

[BlindRef]

Let me be the first to point out the first of the decenters.

I always liked Mariotti.





http://www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti ... ay171.html

[Sky]

Good article. The Kimberly Dunbar reference was funny. However, I never ever want to see Charlie Weiss naked signing any fight song.

[WolverineSteve]

An article on Quinn...

http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/9668607

[BlindRef]

most outlandishly overrated player in the history of college football.

I am sorry that title belongs to 2 players well above Quinn.

1) Ron Pawlus
2) Ryan Leaf
3) Drew Henson (edited for Killian)

Brady Quinn is a good QB, he's not the next Joe Montana, but he throws a good ball and has won some big games. I don't like the overweight and unathletic sports media taking shots at 20 year old kids in college.

Taking shots at Charlie Weiss is just fine, and he is pretty fat and unathletic as well so it works.

[Killian]

1) Ron Pawlus
2) Ryan Leaf

You might want to add Drew Henson to that list.

[BlindRef]

1) Ron Pawlus
2) Ryan Leaf

You might want to add Drew Henson to that list.

Fair enough