Notre Dame is ranked #14, and #17 Michigan for a night game in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines lead the series against the Irish, 23-16-1, and Michigan leads the series in Ann Arbor, 13-7 including 9-6 at Michigan Stadium. Brady Hoke is undefeated as Michigan's head coach since taking over in 2011. Michigan is a 3 point favorite at home.

On Offense, Notre Dame is led by Senior Quarterback, Tommy Rees; he came in last season to lead the Irish over the Wolverines, 13-6. At Running Back is Junior George Atkinson, and he is backed up by Juniors Amir Carlisle and Junior Cam McDaniel plus Freshman Greg Bryant. Their offensive line is led by Seniors Zach Martin, Chris Watt, and Christian Lombard at Left Tackle, Left and Right Guard; Zach's brother, Nick, a Junior, is the Center, and Sophomore Ronnie Stanley is the Right Tackle. The offensive line averages over 311 lbs. per man in their front wall; they'll be tough to get through on the pass rush, and their ground game is solid. Time of possession will be a definite factor in the outcome. We must stop their running game. When the Irish go to the air, their leading receivers are Junior DeVaris Daniels, Senior T.J. Jones, and Sophomore Chris Brown. Their Tight End is Junior Troy Niklas. In their opener, the Irish put up 188 yards of net rushing against Temple, and Rees was 16 of 23 for 346 yards and 3 TDs, two by Daniels. They rolled up 543 yards in total offense with 21 first downs in 62 plays averaging 8.8 yards per play. We must have a better pass rush than we showed in the opener if we are to create havoc, and force the Irish into hurrys and turnovers.

On Defense, Notre Dame is led by Senior Inside Linebackers, Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese; they had 10 and 9 tackles in their first game. Senior Kendall Moore, and Juniors Jarrett Grace and Joe Schmidt will also see action. Senior Prince Shembo and Freshman Jaylon Smith are the outside linebackers; Juniors Ishaq Williams, Ben Councell and Sophomore Romeo Okwara will also play. Up front, the Irish are led by 357 lbs. Senior Nose tackle Louis Nix who anchors the middle. Stephon Tuitt and Sheldon Day are the ends. Freshman Isaac Rochell, Senior Kona Schwenke, and Sophomore Jarron Jones will also play. In the backfield, Senior Bennett Jackson and Sophomore Keivarae Russell are the corners, and Junior Matthias Farley and Senior Austin Collingsworth are the safeties. Freshman Devin Butler and Senior Lo Wood may see action at the corners, and Freshmen Cole Luke and Max Redfield back up at safety.

Michigander Kyle Brindza, a Junior from Plymouth, handles the Irish placekicking, kickoffs, and punting; he missed his first field goal attempt last week, but is a solid veteran with a 41.2 yard punting average. George Atkinson is the Irish kickoff returner, and T.J. Jones handles their punt returns.

Much has been said about the rivalry over the past year since the Irish have elected not to play us breaking our long term agreement since they joined the ACC. Unfortunately, our rhetoric has provided the Irish more motivation with a plethora of "bulletin board" material. The Irish have a lot of incentive to avenge the loss of two seasons ago under the lights, and prove something to the Wolverine coaches who have called them "Chicken," administration, and fans who continue to belittle the Irish. Notre Dame was in the BCS National Championship game earlier this year, and have an excellent group of veterans returning. Their game plan will be to stop our running game, and make us beat them in the air. We haven't proven we have an adequate passing game yet to make big plays, and with three turnovers in the first game, we'll be hard pressed to beat any good team with those kinds of mistakes. I see the Irish controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. As always, I hope I'm wrong, but we didn't show enough in the first game to make me confident for this one.

(Michigan Game Notes for Notre Dame; Notre Dame Game Notes for Michigan)

Michigan 17 Notre Dame 24