Comedy of Errors

Kim and I hosted Mr. B and Chris for breakfast and the ND v. Michigan gamewatch. Dallas was barely touched by Hurricane Ike, and, in fact, more rain fell in South Bend on Saturday. It was actually the rainiest day in South Bend history (6.58")! The weather did not prevent the Fighting Irish from taking the field, thanks to the off-season field upgrade. The field stayed in excellent condition throughout the game, even as weather deteriorated.

The football team, possibly inspired by the presence of Lou Holtz and the '88 National Championship team, and definitely inspired by Charlie Weis and the raucous fans, jumped to a 1st quarter 21-0 lead off 3 straight fumbles by the Wolverines. They added a touchdown run in the 2nd quarter, and a fumble return TD by Brian Smith to kneecap Michigan 35-17.

There are plenty of moments to savor about this victory, so here they are in no particular order:

• Special teams play: We may have the two best gunners in college football. David Bruton and walk-on Mike Anello have played heroically on special teams. In addition to the 3 fumbles by Michigan (2 of which were recovered), the Irish special teams coverage held them to an average drive start at the 15 yard line.


• The offensive line: For the 2nd straight game, no sacks were given up, against much better competition. No penalties either. The Irish scored two rushing touchdowns in the red zone. And they were able to run the ball effectively enough to limit Michigan's chances to come back in the 2nd half.


• The skill players: Jimmy Clausen was deadly accurate early on, and played keep away in the 2nd half as the rain kept falling. On the Golden Tate touchdown, he sold the play fake perfectly, and hit Tate in stride near the goal line. Tate showed and ability to get past defenders and even break tackles. Michael Floyd kept drawing pass interference calls and barely missed out on two touchdowns on his own. Robert Hughes and James Aldridge pounded the ball effectively throughout the game:


• The defense: Mostly solid, though could not contain Sam McGuffie, Michigan's only threat. Extremely opportunistic. Fumble return for a TD, stripped ball and fumble recovery in the redzone, interception in the red zone, and 40-yard intererception return to seal the game. David Bruton will be a 1st round pick. Brian Smith may be in a few years. Plays with a lot of heart and talent. This may be the most fundamentally solid tackling team we have had in years.


• Michigan shenanigans: The Michigan players talked a big game all week, supposedly offended by remarks made by Charlie Weis in the offseason. They did not show up. They made excuses after the game. According to safety Steve Brown, they were still the better team. Not by a long shot.


• The final score was actually the largest margin of victory ever against Michigan in Notre Dame stadium.

In addition to Notre Dame beating Michigan, Kim & I delighted in seeing the Buckeyes get stomped on by USC, the San Francisco 49ers win on the road @ Seattle, Brett Favre lose to a Tom Brady-less New England, and Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano throw a no-hitter against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee.

Leave it to the Chicago Bears to ruin a perfect weekend.