September 12, 2009 - 5:55pm
LIVE BLOG: From the Big House, Michigan vs. Notre Dame football
By: Courtney Ratkowiak
- Clif Reeder/Daily
Fourth Quarter
We're going to the field now. Check @michdailysports for continued tweets near the end of the game and check michigandaily.com after the game for an online update.
Notre Dame's 14th drive:
Notre Dame touchdown. Allen runs right through the Michigan defense. Two-point conversion attempt. If ND makes this, Michigan will need a field goal to tie. Clausen passes to Allen, who bobbles the ball and then runs into the end zone. Notre Dame 34, Michigan 31.
3rd-and-2 at the 18-yard line for ND. This is huge. And Michigan can't stop the Irish on third down again. Armando Allen runs the ball inside the 10-yard line for first and goal.
There's another injury timeout, the third one this quarter. It's for Michael Floyd. He's leaving the game, it looks like.
A handoff to Armando Allen gives Notre Dame a first down at the 25-yard line. Notre Dame has the momentum and the Michigan defense is again looking shaky... not a good combination for Michigan.
Again, no pass defense for Michigan. Rudolph catches the pass to pick up an easy 8 yards, bringing the Irish to the 28-yard line.
Michigan's 14th drive:
And Tate Forcier throws his first interception as a Wolverine. The ball went right to Kyle McCarthy and returned to the Michigan 36-yard line. It was intended for Mathews, but he wasn't even close to the ball. McCarthy returned it 20 yards and Notre Dame has very good field position.
Forcier tries to throw the ball right before he's sacked, and it's almost intercepted by Notre Dame. Michigan has the ball on its own 44-yard line on a 2nd-and-10. Minor can't find anywhere to run and loses a yard on the next play. For Michigan to really have a chance to win this game, I think it's going to need to score at least one more touchdown, and with Stonum out, their options are limited.
There's an injury timeout. Stonum is down. This is bad for Michigan -- with Hemingway already out, this is probably disastrous for the Wolverines' passing game in this close contest.
9:46 left in the game.
Notre Dame's 13th drive:
Two-point conversion attempt. Clausen runs to the sideline, tries to throw and throws it incomplete. It's no good. Michigan 31, ND 26. 80 yards, 14 plays, 21-yard scoring pass. Time elapsed: 4:3o.
3rd-and-3 on the 24. Allen runs the ball right into the first-down marker. It's close..and it's a fourth-and-1. ND is going for it. All they needed was a few inches and the Irish get the first down. It's a first-and-10 on the 21...and Clausen throws the ball to Golden Tate. Boubacar Cissoko is on Tate and misses the tackle, then lays on the ground as Tate easily runs into the end zone untouched.
3rd-and-5 on the 38, and Notre Dame gets the first down. Notre Dame is starting to really move the ball again. Clausen throws a bomb to Golden Tate in the end zone. It looks like Tate catches it at first, then it's ruled incomplete. Tate jumped for it, had the ball in his hands on his way down and then it looked like Cissoko forced it out of his hands when Tate hit the ground. Good play by Cissoko.
And they're playing "Seven Nation Army" again. I think the stadium DJ is trying to make this song a tradition or something.
Cissoko missed the perfect interception. The ball went right in his hands but he couldn't hold on to it. It's now 2nd-and-10 at the Michigan 43-yard line. That looked like it could have easily been a pick-six if he would have caught the ball.
13:04 left in the game. Clausen keeps the ball forever, throws to Floyd and it's a first down for Notre Dame.
The students really like the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". It's been played twice this game and the students sound sort of intimidating singing along.
After one first down on this drive, ND is at its own 31-yard line. Donovan Warren breaks up a pass to Tate about 30 yards down the field, and it's now 3rd-and-10 on the 31. Notre Dame takes a timeout.
Attendance is 110,278.
Michigan's 12th drive, cont'd: The Wolverines lost a yard, making it 4th-and-3 on the 31. They're going for it again. Another risky play for Michigan. Forcier fakes it to Minor, runs straight, eludes one Notre Dame guy and runs straight to the end zone. He holds his arms out in front of him and points to the crowd as he scores. You have to love the cockiness. Welcome to the Rodriguez brand of football, kids. Michigan 31, Notre Dame 20. 64 yards, 2 plays, 31-yard run by Forcier. Time elapsed: 3:07.
Third Quarter
Michigan completely dominated this quarter. The total yards are now ND 329, Michigan 320. At the half, ND was winning the yardage battle 302-167.
Michigan's 12th drive:
That's the end of the third quarter, and Michigan will have the ball on the ND 30-yard line on a 3rd-and-2 at the start of the fourth. The team is amped, trying to pump up the crowd on its way off the field again.
Kevin Koger is playing really well today - he just got another first down for Michigan. The Wolverines are at the ND 38 yard line with a first down.
The players are still scrappy. There were a few shoves after Notre Dame downed the punt.
Notre Dame's 11th drive:
Clausen's pass is incomplete. It's 3rd-and-8 at the 21-yard line, and Notre Dame has to call its first timeout. It's good to hear the student section has given up its "key play" key-jingling cheer, because this yelling is a lot louder and more intimidating. Clausen throws an incomplete pass and Notre Dame will punt.
Safety Mike Williams is injured and is being helped off the field. That is terrible news for Michigan's defense, which already suffers from lack of depth. O'Neil Swanson is in at safety for Williams.
4:08 left in the quarter. Incomplete pass by Clausen but a very late flag - it came about 10-15 seconds after the play was dead. It's pass interference on Cissoko, which moves the ball to the ND 19-yard line. That was a bold call. Clausen has a ton of time again, throws the ball to Kyle Rudolph, and Rudolph runs almost the length of the field. There are flags thrown at the line, though, and Clausen is standing alone next to the flags. It's a ND penalty, which nullifies the run. ND is back at its own 9-yard line.
Michigan's 11th drive:
Kelvin Grady touches the ball for the first time this game. It's fourth and 2 on the 46 and Michigan punts -- but it's a short snap and Forcier's the one who punts the ball. Stonum runs to the ball and Mathews downs the punt at about the 1-yard line. It's a 50-yard punt and Notre Dame was nowhere near it.
6:45 left in the quarter. Carlos Brown runs for 17 yards to put the Wolverines at the 42-yard line, and on 2nd-and-6, Robinson is in at quarterback. The snap is low and he can't get through the middle.
Notre Dame's tenth drive: Michigan looks like it needed that halftime break. It's 3rd-and-11 for Notre Dame and the Irish are at midfield. Clausen just got hit big and the crowd is roaring again. These skyboxes are really trapping in sound. Clausen tries to throw the ball but Michigan has finally figured out the screen. Notre Dame has to punt.
Michigan's tenth drive:
Carlos Brown is in at running back and Forcier is back at quarterback. It's third and goal at the 3. And... it's a touchdown by Kevin Koger. He barely caught the ball before hitting the ground and stretched his arms over the goal line to get them in. That was clutch. Michigan 24, ND 20. 26 yards, 5 plays. Time elapsed: 1:48.
Daily Sports Editor Mike Eisenstein says he thinks Brandon Minor could get 400 yards this half. He's kidding, but Minor is having a ridiculous game. He just broke free again to get the Wolverines inside the 10. Denard Robinson is in at quarterback. Roinson takes the snap and runs to about the 2-yard line.
Notre Dame's ninth drive: Mouton recovers a Notre Dame fumble that's forced by Stevie Brown. Jonas Gray was carrying the ball and Stevie Brown just wrenched it out of his hands. Michigan now has the ball at the ND 26-yard line and has a chance to redeem itself.
Michigan's ninth drive:
It's a 22-yard FG attempt. Michigan is taking a delay of game penalty to move five yards back, since it looks like an awkward angle for a field goal. It's now a 26-yard FG attempt, and it's no good. It's very wide left. The score is still 20-17 Notre Dame. That's a huge miss for Michigan and might come back to get them in the end.
Michigan fumbles the ball on the snap and loses a yard on the play. It's third and goal from the 2-yard line. Minor runs it and is hit at about the 4-yard line, but there's a penalty on the play. It's holding on the offense and the penalty is declined. It's fourth and goal for Michigan. That has to be disappointing for Michigan not to be able to convert from the one-yard line.
And Minor breaks free again, this time to the 2-yard line. Michigan's speed is really shocking compared to the Michigan teams of years past. It's a 32-yard run to the Notre Dame 1-yard line.
The Wolverines start this drive on the 29-yard line and get a first down off the bat, Forcier to Stonum. On the second down, Forcier runs the ball seven yards and Michigan is at midfield. There's another first down... and another. Minor just ran the ball for a first down and Michigan already has three this drive. Michigan is at the 33-yard line.
Halftime Thoughts
The Michigan defense is definitely being tested. The pass coverage is weak, Boubacar Cissoko is very outmatched and Clausen can keep throwing those deep balls all day. Rodriguez won't be happy about the penalties after the game - he said last week that was the "only thing he was upset about," and it's been worse today.
Forcier has looked a little unsure at times, and Robinson has just looked, well, fast. I'm liking the Robinson-at-quarterback, Tate-at-wideout plays, and the Wolverines might need to run some more of that since it looks like the ND defense is having trouble containing Robinson's speed.
The key in the second half is going to be getting sustained offensive drives, since the defense has been out much more than Rodriguez and Greg Robinson would like. The defense is looking a little tired already, and with Clausen's big plays, it's going to have to keep running.
Forcier was just 3-of-7 in the second quarter, and Zoltan Mesko is punting about 10 yards less than he did last week on average. Notre Dame is dominating in every category except points -- it has 15 first downs to Michigan's 8.
The student section is completely maize, which looks great from the press box. No real sign of the blue block 'M' from here, though. The Michigan Marching Band is playing "Sweet Caroline" as part of its halftime show and the students are really getting into it.
Second Quarter
Michigan's eighth drive- 2:38 left in the quarter. Odoms returns the kickoff and Michigan will start its drive on the 30-yard line. Forcier is sacked for a four-yard loss and he's slow to get up. It looks like his right ankle.
Forcier completes a pass to Stonum to get the Wolverines a first down at midfield.
Did we mention Robinson is fast? Forcier is at wideout and Robinson at QB again. Robinson breaks through the ND defense to grab a first down off a 15-yard run.
3rd-and-11 at the 37-yard line and Forcier is again behind center. Forcier throws way incomplete - it looks like they didn't know what the play was. Michigan is deciding what to do on fourth down. And... they're going for it. This is ballsy. Forcier takes the snap, runs for awhile...throws to Mathews and it's a first down. Michigan gets the first down on the 22-yard line. There are only 17 seconds left in the half and Michigan is taking a 30-second timeout.
The stadium is playing "Don't Stop Believin' " right now. The piped-in music is definitely a hit at Michigan Stadium, and I happen to think it's a great change. It really gets the students riled up more than they usually are between plays.
1st-and-10 for Michigan on the 22. Forcier breaks free, throws on the run again and almost gets the ball to Brown but it falls to the ground. There are holding penalties on Michigan and pass interference on ND, so the down is replayed
10 seconds left in the half.
Notre Dame calls a timeout, its last one. Michigan probably has time to pull off one more quick play before just kicking the field goal.
Forcier throws the ball out of bounds on a desperation play. There are 5 seconds left and the ball is still at the ND 22. Michigan is going for the field goal, 39-yard attempt. Olesnavage makes it...but I'm not really sure how. The kick looked like it went way wide off his foot but somehow goes through the posts. That makes the halftime score Notre Dame 20, Michigan 17. 48 yards, 9 plays, 39-yard field goal, time elapsed: 2:41.
Notre Dame's eighth drive-
Clausen again has all the time in the world to throw. He completes a short pass to Jonas Gray, but it's not enough. It's 4th-and-8 and Notre Dame is attempting a 42-yard field goal. It looks like it might be a little short from the start, but it goes through the posts and gives ND a six-point lead. 2:41 left in the quarter. Notre Dame 20, Michigan 14. 17 yards, 5 plays, 42-yard field goal.
Michigan seems to be getting scrappy instead of focusing its energy on getting hard tackles... there is a lot of pushing and shoving between plays. Notre Dame has completely run over Michigan this quarter. Clausen throws a pass to Allen and Allen makes it to about the 10-yard line, but there are multiple flags on the field right now. This has been a very sloppy game for both teams so far. There's a holding penalty on ND that's declined since it was from the spot of the penalty. Michigan took the illegal shift penalty, since that was from the line of scrimmage. ND is now at the 32 yard line on a 3rd-and-15.
5:48 left in the quarter. Mesko's punt took a Notre Dame bounce, giving the Irish great field position on the Michigan 42-yard line. Notre Dame is going to have a very easy time with this drive - just ran 15 yards for a first down.
Michigan's seventh drive-
Denard Robinson is in at quarterback but Forcier is still in as a wideout. Robinson tries to run from the Notre Dame defense but he can only grab a yard. Forcier's back behind center... and throws an almost-interception to Kyle McCarthy. It looked like McCarthy had it but he dropped the ball at the last minute. Forcier throws another pass incomplete, this one intended for Mathews. It's a fourth down. Michigan's getting killed on total yardage, 119 to Notre Dame's 280. 5:58 left in the quarter.
7:05 left in the quarter. Forcier gets the ball, drops back and can't run away this time. Forcier is tackled far behind the line, but there's a penalty. And the refs classify the call as... "penalty". We're not sure what happened.
Notre Dame's seventh drive-
Clausen to Floyd touchdown. Floyd jumps to catch the ball in the back of the end zone, and that means this is the first time this season that Michigan is behind in a game. The defense is just nonexistent right now - Clausen and his offense are doing whatever they want to the Wolverines. Notre Dame 17, Michigan 14. 69 yards, 7 plays on the scoring drive. Time elapsed: 3:47.
Another play, another first down for the Irish. Allen ran the ball to the 40-yard line. And again. This one's to Golden Tate, who catches the ball at the 25-yard line. It's another first down, but a flag is down. It's a personal foul, roughing the passer on Obi Ezeh. That means Michigan will get the ball half the distance to the goal line. 11 yards on the pass play and 13 yards on the penalty means Notre Dame has the ball on the 12-yard line now. This is getting painful for Michigan really fast.
Donovan Warren just had a nice pass breakup inside the 5-yard line. Golden Tate was poised to catch the Clausen bomb, but Warren was able to get it right out of his hands. Tate turned around and threw up his hands at the ref, but no play was called.
Even some of the alums are standing up now. Notre Dame gets a delay of game, 5-yard penalty that pushes it back to a 1st-and-25 at the 16-yard line. The crowd is still rocking...and Notre Dame completes another huge pass to Floyd. The Irish are now at midfield and Cissoko was behind Floyd. Cissoko is really looking off his game today.
10:52 left in the quarter. Clausen completes another pass to give Notre Dame a first and 10, but Notre Dame gets its first penalty of the game to push it back 10 yards.
Michigan's sixth drive-
Mathews was just jostling with another ND player after the play. The players are definitely intense, but Michigan is looking pretty flat right now. It's 3rd-and-11 at the 23-yard line. Again, Forcier was far behind the line of scrimmage before not seeing a play and deciding to run. He was brought down at the 29-yard line and Michigan will have to punt. 11:04 left in the quarter.
It's about time the offense puts together a sustained drive, since the defense is looking tired. Odoms and Stonum are deep for Michigan on the return. Odoms is brought down at the Michigan 24-yard line.
Notre Dame's fifth drive-
Easy catch by Golden Tate, and Notre Dame scores again. The Michigan pass defense really has to step up, especially Boubacar Cissoko. Notre Dame already has 209 total yards to Michigan's 113. Michigan 14, ND 10. 76 yards in 7 plays, 4-yard scoring pass to Golden Tate. Time elapsed: 3:00.
Again, all the time in the world. Clausen just threw a 15-yard pass to Golden Tate. They're making this look easy - first and goal, Notre Dame. Donovan Warren and OT Sam Young from Notre Dame just got in a mini-shoving match in the end zone, which the refs had to break up but didn't call any penalties. Notre Dame is setting up for its next play and just called a timeout.
And the Michigan pass defense is looking no better. A wide-open Michael Floyd just caught a 37-yard pass to move Notre Dame to the 25-yard line. Boubacar Cissoko was nowhere near him on the pass coverage.
First Quarter
At the end of the first quarter, the team just ran over near the fans and pumped their arms in the air. This place is electric right now. If the defense can step it up, Michigan could really pull away.
Notre Dame's fifth drive-
Armando Allen is playing quarterback for one play, resulting in a 5-yard gain. Clausen's back and the quarter ends with Notre Dame at 3rd-and-5 on the 33-yard line.
Robinson just ran out to the field and grabbed Donovan Warren to say something - he looked pretty intense.
Michigan's fourth drive - Darryl Stonum just took the kick return back for a touchdown. The crowd is going absolutely bananas. He just found a hole and ran for it. The stadium is unbelievably loud right now. All he needed was one block and he got it. The last time Michigan did this was when Steve Breaston had a 95-yard touchdown in 2005.Michigan 14, ND 3. 94-yard kickoff return.
Notre Dame's third drive -
Clausen has all the time in the world to decide where to throw, and completes a pass to Allen for four yards. The Irish are at the 17 yard line on 3rd and 5, and Clausen throws a bomb way out of bounds past the goal line. The Irish are attempting a 34-yard field goal. And this time, it's good. Michigan 7, ND 3. Drive covered 56 yards in 8 plays. Time elapsed: 3 minutes, 26 seconds.
The play is under review. The referees just ruled Allen stepped out of bounds at the 22-yard line. That means the last play was a 19-yard pass from Clausen to Allen, with no tackle credited. Notre Dame gets the ball at the 22-yard line, there are 2 minutes and 26 seconds left in the quarter and it's first and 10. That's huge for Michigan if its defense can improve and stop Notre Dame on this drive.
And speaking of moving the ball down the field easily, Notre Dame just ran easily in the end zone for a touchdown. The Notre Dame fans are really raucous here. From the 41-yard line, Armando Allen ran the ball into the end zone... but they're ruling him out of bounds.
Denard Robinson is warming up on the sideline.
Michigan's defense is just not looking good so far. They're having trouble tackling and up the middle. Clausen just completed another pass for a first down, putting the Irish at the Michigan 45-yard line. Both teams are really moving the ball down the field easily.
Michigan's second drive -
It's a touchdown. Brandon Minor runs it in for Michigan and barely crosses the goal line, but he makes it and the Big House student section is going nuts. Looking at this first drive of the game, it would have been hard to believe Michigan would be the team to score first. Michigan 7, Notre Dame 0. Scoring drive was 79 yards, 9 plays, 2-yard scoring run by Minor. Time elapsed: 3 minutes and 46 seconds.
Michigan just got another first down on a Carlos Brown catch that pushes the Wolverines inside the 30. And it's a clutch run by Minor that pushes Michigan to the 2-yard line. Michigan has had two huge plays and two 10-yard penalties this drive, and is now in position to score.
Mathews just had a sick catch from Tate Forcier where he jumped over the Notre Dame defender...and the Wolverines are all of a sudden at the Notre Dame 41. There's another penalty on the next play, meaning Michigan is pushed back another 10 yards. The Wolverines are already being hurt on penalties, something Rodriguez was upset about last game. It's now first-and-20 at midfield.
On first down, running back Brandon Minor had a nice fake, Forcier kept the ball and the team gained eight yards. There's a flag down after the second-down play, and the Wolverines are pushed back 10 yards.
Notre Dame's second drive - This drive is starting at the 28-yard line. Clausen is easily completing passes - he just threw a 4-yard pass and his passing yards are already at 34 (39 total rushing yards so far). And it's a three-and-out for the Irish.
Michigan's first drive - After a negative-yardage play and a short completion, Michigan has a 3rd-and-8 on its own 33-yard line. On the third down, Tate Forcier was almost sacked but ran from the tackle before being brought down at the line of scrimmage. It's a three-and-out on Michigan's first drive, and Notre Dame will get the ball on its own 28-yard line.
Notre Dame's first drive -And on third and 5 on the 10, Brandon Graham just came up with a big sack to keep Jimmy Clausen on the 11-yard line. Notre Dame is attempting a 28-yard field goal... and it's no good.
Notre Dame just had a 24-yard play that put them at about midfield on the first drive of the game. Obi Ezeh just missed a tackle and Notre Dame got another big run, putting them at the 25-yard line for a first down. The Michigan defense has been nonexistent on this drive. Notre Dame is now at the 15-yard line and keeps running the ball. On second and 5 at the 10-yard line, Jimmy Clausen has all the time in the world to decide where to throw...but throws it incomplete in the end zone. It's wide right. Wow. After a great Notre Dame drive, the Irish come up short and Michigan has the ball.
Pregame
It's another gorgeous Football Saturday and we're at the Big House for the annual Michigan/Notre Dame game. It says on the press release that the official game time is 3:36 p.m. (not 3:30), so we're about 45 minutes away from kickoff.
The last time Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines drubbed the Irish 38-0, but last year, Notre Dame won in a contest that was marked by sloppy conditions and Michigan turnovers. In Vegas, Michigan is listed as the underdog by 3 points today.
If you'd rather get live updates on the game from your mobile phone today, follow @michdailysports on Twitter, where we'll be updating all game.
Michigan Starters:
Defense
Graham (DE)
Van Bergen (DT)
Martin (DT)
Roh (OL)
Ezeh (LB)
Mouton (LB)
S. Brown (LB)
Warren (CB)
Woolfolk (S)
Williams (S)
Cissoko (CB)
Offense
Mathews (WR)
Ortmann (OL)
Schilling (OL)
Molk (OL)
Moosman (OL)
Huyge (OL)
Koger (TE)
Odoms (SR)
**Hemingway (WR) -- he was listed as a starter, but isn't dressed and hasn't played this game.
Forcier (QB)
Minor (RB)
Hemingway is playing, which is a surprise after he was listed as questionable on the depth chart Thursday. Minor is also starting over Carlos Brown after not playing last week due to injury.
