Notre Dame closed out its series with Michigan by making a statement to the Wolverines and the rest of college football. The Irish dominated on both sides of the ball on route to a 31-0 dismantling of Brady Hoke’s Michigan team. Notre Dame’s team speed was a glaring advantage over the Wolverines and it allowed the Irish defense to be aggressive leading to the first shutout of Michigan since 1984. The Irish offense also showed great balance and put long drives together limiting Michigan’s number of plays offensively. Kyle Brindza also allowed the Irish to control the field position battle which left Michigan having to navigate the whole field, which they couldn’t do. The following players are some of the many that stood out in the victory:
Amir Carlisle: Converted slot receiver Amir Carlisle played his best game in a Notre Dame uniform Saturday. The California native tallied seven receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns versus the Wolverines. Several of Carlisle’s catches were key grabs to keep drives alive on third down or were very difficult to make up against the sideline. The former running back was an excellent complement to Will Fuller who was a focal point in the game plan as the Irish wanted to attack Wolverines corner Blake Countess.
Everett Golson: When the Irish win quarterback Everett Golson will likely have played well as he did against Michigan. Golson struggled in 2012 in his first outing against the Wolverines but redeemed himself this time around. The Irish signal-caller threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns while completing passes to seven different receivers. Most importantly Golson did not turn the ball over, which is always crucial.
Jaylon Smith: Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith continues to pile big game on top of big game. The sophomore is the best illustration of the type of speed the Irish are recruiting on defense as he can make a play anywhere on the field. The Indiana native totaled 10 tackles versus Michigan which was tied for the team lead and also recorded a tackle for loss. Smith was also crucial to keeping Devin Gardener in the pocket and even helped to cover Devin Funchess on occasion.
Sheldon Day: Captain Sheldon Day is living up to his role as a leader of the Irish defense. Day has a world-class motor and uses it to be disruptive in both the run and the pass game. The junior had five tackles versus Michigan but also had a team-high four quarterback hurries that caused Devin Gardener to make mistakes. Day simply could not be blocked by Michigan as his quickness was too much for the interior of the Wolverines offensive line.
gitmo, think big, not small. There will be too many solid performances
each week to have a clear top 5. Think the team. Many stars not few.
Despite ESPN and sports talk radio, its still a team game
How can you not mention Shumate? 10 tackles, 1 int and 1 pass broken up.
Patrick: I agree re Farley. I think his improved play has been impressive, and I think he deserves high marks. I also think BVG gets some serious credit for the Farley transformation, too. He is playing with bona fide confidence now; BVG is getting the most out of previously marginal players. If BVG can transform Farley, imagine what he can do with the likes of Smith and Redfield? I love what I am seeing.
So many helmet stickers could have been given out. Everett Golson was the best player on offense. How many yards would he have accumulated if not for the dropped passes? Amir Carlisle had his best day in an Irish uniform. Seemed like every catch was a tough one or was impactful. The back end of the Irish defense played great. I thought Funchess was going to go crazy on the Irish, but they did a good job of containing him. Very few big chunk plays given up by the defense while simultaneously applying a lot of pressure on the QB. For the 2nd straight week, the defense stopped the running game cold. Great win!
I think the improvement of Mathias Farley is going overlooked.
Couldn’t agree more…playing him as basically a 3rd LB/DB has been a perfect fit for his style. Hats off to the coaches for figuring this out because Farley’s production this year has been unbelievable. It seems like he is always in the right position and never misses a tackle!!
Any word on Trumbetti?Is he OK?
Yes, Jaylon Smith is incredible. He is so fast and strong and instinctive. He is all over the place!
Of the Frosh, Kolin Hill really impressed me with his body slam on Gardner. That was Bad A$$.
I’m still stoked about that game :>)
Thank you, IRISH !!!
Woodrow
And we’ve only just begun!
what’s nice here is that you could also put Fuller, Jarron Jones, Shumate and Redfield and not be completely out of your mind. But the four mentioned by Pierce were great.
A special shout out to James Onwualu for his recovery of Riggs fumble.
The challenge for Jaylon is the challenge of being taken for granted.
He is so consistenly excellent. It is difficult to quantify the yardage he saves by stopping plays.