For the past two years, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was the unquestioned game-changer when it came to consecutive wins over Notre Dame.
That held up true this year too; “game-changer” was just defined a little differently. Like, responsible for five turnovers differently. Four interceptions and one fumble. Robinson couldn’t protect the ball, especially in the red zone, and No. 18 Michigan fell to No. 11 Notre Dame for the first time since 2008 by a score of 13-6.
For the Irish, it means not having to go 0-for-Denard. No program wants to go 0-for-something (re: Matt Barkley and Stanford), and Notre Dame can cross this off its list. It’s also great for the Notre Dame’s true seniors, who will be able to say they beat Michigan once.
But the game itself? Ugly. One touchdown (a 2-yard run from Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees) and eight total turnovers. For the second straight week, Rees had to come in for Everett Golson. Amazingly, Brady Hoke did not pull Robinson over to the sideline and tell him to never throw the ball again.