Michigan vs. Notre Dame: Can the Irish Stop Denard Robinson?
By Ty Duffy
Friends, Alabama has given the rest of college football a template for stopping Denard Robinson. If you have a defensive front that makes north/south running unfeasible, linebackers quick and disciplined enough to seal the edge and an athletic, well-drilled secondary that can make plays on an island, you can stop Denard Robinson…and every other quarterback in the country. Notre Dame has one of those things, maybe. Certainly not the secondary.
It’s worth noting Alabama did not bottle Denard. Michigan never removed the cap on him. He ran just 10 times against Alabama, only three of the carries came in the first half with the game still in doubt. The pummeling, offensive coordinator Al Borges decided, was not worth the marginal increase in Michigan’s win probability. Michigan ran an atypical boom/bust offense throwing a lot of deep routes. Robinson was dropping back, trying to slot the ball into precise windows and make NFL throws. It did not work well. He was picked off twice, though on one of them Dee Milliner was an absolute mutant who threw a receiver out of bounds as the ball was being released and recovered to catch the ball.
Michigan did not cover itself in glory in Cowboys Stadium, though it was a one off. There is little to read moving forward. Since Alabama, Denard has completed 61 percent of his passes while not killing Michigan and averaged 10 yards per carry. Notre Dame’s defense may have improved – we might suggest Michigan State’s offense contributed last week – but they will have to improve significantly to hold Denard under 400 total yards and stop him influencing this game.
Has Denard Robinson ever played well against a good defense? See: Ohio State 2011.
Recent Highlights: Michigan has won three consecutively (all on final minute touchdowns) and five out of six. The one loss came in Rich Rodriguez’ first season. Besides the Denard touchdown above: Denard vs. Notre Dame in 2010, Tate Forcier vs. Notre Dame in 2009, Jimmy Clausen getting destroyed by Michigan in 2007 and Brady Quinn not having a swell day against Michigan in 2006. Sadly, the Brady Quinn yakety-sax clip appears to have been expunged from the YouTube.
Fatigue: The Irish have the nation’s toughest schedule. Will that drag on them in this game? It is Sept. 22. Notre Dame has played a game in Ireland, played a hard fought battle with Purdue and went on the road to play a physical Michigan State team. The Wolverines, in contrast, have played Air Force and UMass at home since Alabama. It’s Michigan. It is a rivalry game, but how much can they have left in the tank?
Running Game? Notre Dame emphasized their revamped rushing attack. It has not made an appearance yet. The Irish blew the doors off Navy, but ran for just 174 yards combined against Purdue and Michigan State. They rank 80th nationally in yards per carry. Michigan is neither MSU nor Purdue up front, but they are not Navy either. Notre Dame’s offensive line is not built for road paving. Their bigger advantage might be speed out of the backfield. Expect Brian Kelly to attack the edge where Michigan’s opponents, even UMass, had some success.
That Other Quarterback: Which quarterback is a question mark? Probably the redshirt freshman. Golson has shown flashes. He has yet to make freshman mistakes. He also completed just 43 percent of his passes against Michigan State and has been a mixed bag throwing the ball down field. Expect Greg Mattison to attack him with blitz packages early, often and from all directions. Michigan needs to rattle him to stay within “Oh My God, Denard!” range.
Prediction: Michigan pulls another one out late. 35-28.
[Photo via Presswire]
Previously: College Football 2012 Picks: Week Four