Observations on the first half with Notre Dame, 10-21

Notre Dame came to this game way better prepared by Brian Kelly and Staff, and stormed out to a two score lead in the first 8 minutes; the Fighting Irish converted two red zones into 14 points. The Wolverines came into this game ill-prepared by Jim Harbaugh and Staff, and have converted one red zone opportunity into 3 points. No turnovers for either team.

Offense was poor! Shea Patterson hit 9 of 12 passes to six receivers for 62 yards, but was sacked twice for -24 yards. Karan Higdon ran 12 times for 45 yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones ran a jet sweep for 7 yards. Michigan was 3 of 6 in 3rd down conversions for 8 first downs.

Defense was horrid! Brandon Wimbush threw 15 times with 10 completions for 148 yards and a TD; he ran 12 times for 39 yards. The Fighting Irish piled up 233 net yards with 85 on the ground including 16 first downs to gain a 3 minute time of possession advantage which gave them 13 more offensive plays. The Irish were 5 of 9 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. James Ross led the defense with 5 tackles. Tyree Kinnel, Rashan Gary and Devin Bush had 4 tackles each. Penalties killed us in the first half, 5 for 42 yards. Our defense, similar to 2017, can't stop teams in the red zone. I'm happy that Brad Hawkins is getting reps at Safety; he did get burned on the TD, but he almost picked it off as well as another late in the first half on a screen. Josh Metellus is not the answer for us there; he is poor on coverage, and in tackling.

Special Teams kept us in the game with a 98 yard TD kickoff return by Ambry Thomas. Quinn Nordin hit a 28 yard field goal. Donovan Peoples-Jones blew a punt return for -2 yards inside his 5 yard line. Will Hart punted twice for 81 yards.

Second Half will be a blowout for Notre Dame unless we get some turnovers. This team simply is not very good; the offensive line isn't helping us establish a running game, and the short passing game can only take us so far. It won't overcome a 2 score deficit.