Michigan @ Notre Dame preview
Notre Dame Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2013 ) Notre Dame 30, Michigan 41
The 42nd meeting between longtime rivals Michigan and Notre Dame — and the last for the foreseeable future — should be among the highlights of this week's college football schedule. The 15th-ranked Fighting Irish are looking to start 2-0 for only the second time since 2008 while the visiting Wolverines aim for their fifth 2-0 start in the past six seasons. Michigan has won six of the last eight meetings, including a 41-30 victory last season in Ann Arbor.
The long-running series has been incredibly competitive since its renewal in 1978 with Michigan holding a 15-14-1 advantage over that span and 18 of the last 29 meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer. "They understand it's the last game," Michigan coach Brady Hoke told reporters. "I think they also understand that they need to play a lot better than we did a week ago, because Notre Dame is a good football team." The Irish remain without five players — including starting cornerback KeiVarae Russell and receiver DaVaris Daniels — who were suspended by the university while being investigated for academic fraud, but their absence didn't hold back Notre Dame in its opener, a 48-17 rout over Rice.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Notre Dame -4.5
ABOUT MICHIGAN (1-0): Devin Gardner, who passed for four touchdowns and ran for one in last year's contest, had the offense clicking in last week's 52-14 win against Appalachian State, as the Wolverines averaged a school-record 10.18 yards per play. Their 9.72 yards per rush also reestablished the school mark as Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith combined for 285 yards on the ground. The first-team defense held the Mountaineers to 74 total yards in the first half but will face a much stiffer test against a Notre Dame offense that rolled up 576 yards last week.
ABOUT NOTRE DAME (1-0): Quarterback Everett Golson was stellar in his return after missing last season for academic issues, as he passed for 295 yards and tied a school record with three rushing touchdowns. Golson spread the ball around nicely against Rice with seven receivers catching passes and four of them collecting at least 50 receiving yards. The short-handed Irish defense gave up big chunks of yardage, though, and could have its hands full with Gardner, a double threat who hurt the Irish with his arm and his legs a year ago.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Michigan is 21-3 under Hoke when outrushing its opponent while Notre Dame is 30-4 under Kelly when outgaining the opposition on the ground.
2. Gardner has accounted for at least two touchdowns in 15 of his last 18 games while Michigan WR Devin Funchess has caught a pass in 15 straight contests.
3. The Irish are 14-0 under Kelly when they do not commit a turnover.
PREDICTION: Notre Dame 23, Michigan 20