Wolverine Whoopass | by Jay

I'd just like to conclude this fantastic week by saying that it's nice to be on the other end of a Michigan beat down for a change. The last time we won by such a large margin was way back in 1987 (and only once before that, in 1943). Only three times has Notre Dame beaten Michigan by such a large score, and Charlie and his 2008 team own one of them.

In many ways, Saturday was the mirror image of the game in 2006, a 47-21 immolation that featured lousy turnovers, short scoring fields, and long bombs for touchdowns. In the first quarter that year, Michigan scored on an interception that caromed off of Carlson's hands, a 70-yard bomb to Manningham who beat the Irish coverage, and a 4-play drive from the 27 set up by a fumbled kickoff. Sound familiar? And yet, no excuses were made; not by us, anyway. As Pat said at the time: That one was rough. Notre Dame lost that game in all phases -- offense, defense, special teams, and coaching...It's going to be a long night for ND fans after this, the biggest loss in the fledgling Charlie Weis era.

Walking out of the stadium last Saturday, I experienced the palpable feeling of a large primate being gently lifted from me. That team in 2006 had legitimate national championship expectations, and quickly dashed them against the rocks; this year, most fans, I think, simply wanted to see improvement, however modest. After the Michigan game, I think we can check that one off. Perhaps it's time to recalibrate our metrics for this young season. Onwards to East Lansing.