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September 11, 2009

Steve Megargee and Mike Huguenin
Rivals.com College Football Staff

When Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen last visited Michigan Stadium, his body needed almost a week to recover from the experience.

The rehabilitation of Notre Dame's image has taken quite a bit longer.

Notre Dame's trip to the Big House on Saturday should serve as a measure of how far Clausen and Co. have come since a humiliating 38-0 loss to the Wolverines two years ago. Clausen was sacked eight times in the game, one of the many lowlights during a season in which the Irish finished 3-9 and allowed an NCAA-high 58 sacks.

"I was pretty banged up after that game," said Clausen, who called it perhaps the toughest game he ever played from a physical standpoint. "It took me almost three, four, five days to recover from that game. I'm just a totally different person than I was against Michigan in '07."

Notre Dame believes it also is a totally different team. The Irish were a combined 10-15 the past two seasons, but they followed up a 49-21 Hawaii Bowl drubbing of Hawaii to end last season by blanking Nevada 35-0 in their season opener last week. A victory over Michigan would establish the 18th-ranked Irish as BCS contenders and could allow Clausen to be mentioned as one of the nation's top quarterbacks.

First, Clausen must prove he can deliver away from home. Clausen threw 13 interceptions and four touchdown passes in Notre Dame's regular-season road games last season. His huge performance last week came against a Nevada team that had the nation's worst pass defense a year ago.

But the Irish aren't the only team with something to prove.

Michigan is coming off a 3-9 season that ended a streak of 33 consecutive bowl appearances. The Wolverines may have turned the corner Saturday as true freshman quarterbacks Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson sparked a 31-7 victory over Western Michigan. The Wolverines scored more than 27 points just twice last season, their first under Rich Rodriguez.

"Our guys know they've still got some work to do," said Rodriguez, whose team lost 35-17 at Notre Dame last season. "It was a good, solid win, but after one day, they've moved on and this is a bigger challenge for us. We've got to play a whole lot better to win this one."

The offenses have received much of the attention, but this game likely will come down to the performance of the defenses.

Michigan's defense underachieved throughout the 2008 season, but the Wolverines had no trouble containing prolific Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller last week. Notre Dame's lack of depth in the defensive line could make the Irish vulnerable against Michigan's spread option, but the Irish opened their season by posting their first shutout since a 42-0 thrashing of Rutgers in 2002.

Saturday's game should determine which defense - and which team - is for real.

"The heartbeat of the team is up, so we're excited to play this game," Notre Dame strong safety Kyle McCarthy said. "And, you know, there's not much more to say. It's Notre Dame-Michigan."

Who gets the edge?

MICHIGAN RUSH OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME RUSH DEFENSE
The Wolverines need to make some hay here. They ran well against the Irish last season (159 yards), and that was with quarterbacks who weren't good fits for the offense. This season, starter Tate Forcier and backup Denard Robinson are good fits for the offense. Robinson is flat-out fast, while Forcier is quicker than he looks. Michigan expects RB Brandon Minor to play, and that would be a boost. Carlos Brown also will get some opportunities. The Irish are far from overwhelming in their front seven, though they did keep a potent Nevada attack out of the end zone last week. Ss Kyle McCarthy and Harrison Smith will need to be active against the run; the same goes for the Irish linebackers.
Edge: Michigan.

MICHIGAN PASS OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE
The Wolverines looked OK throwing the ball last week against Western Michigan, but they will get a tougher test this week. Forcier is a far more advanced passer than Robinson. Junior WR Junior Hemingway, who had six career catches coming into this season, had five receptions against Western Michigan; continued production like that would be a huge boon. TE Kevin Koger also had a nice day, but the Wolverines didn't get much from Greg Mathews or Martavious Odoms - and they were expected to be the leading receivers. Look for Odoms to make some plays against the Irish. Smith and McCarthy are active safeties, and there is a solid cornerback rotation as well, with Raeshon McNeil the guy to watch Saturday.
Edge: Even.

NOTRE DAME RUSH OFFENSE vs. MICHIGAN RUSH DEFENSE
The Irish ran for 178 yards last week, and if they get that kind of production weekly, they will have one of the most prolific offenses in school history. But running against Nevada isn't the same as running against Michigan. There still are numerous questions about the Irish's offensive line. Armando Allen ran for 72 yards last week. Michigan has made a concerted attempt to get more speed on the field on defense this season. Obi Ezeh is the leader of the linebacker corps.
Edge: Michigan.

NOTRE DAME PASS OFFENSE vs. MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE
QB Jimmy Clausen has the best receiving corps in the country. WRs Michael Floyd and Golden Tate are a dangerous big-play duo, and TE Kyle Rudolph has the potential to be the best at his position in school history. Clausen struggled in road games last season - four TDs, 13 picks - and will get a test Saturday. Michigan E Brandon Graham is a big-time pass rusher, and T Ryan Van Bergen has some pass-rush skills as well. Watch for true freshman LB Craig Roh, a high school defensive end whose pass-rushing skills caught the eye of many major programs. The Wolverines need to get a consistent pass rush on Clausen. The secondary is OK, but it will get torched if Clausen doesn't have to worry about getting his jersey dirty. The Wolverines' corners are better than their safeties.
Edge: Notre Dame.

MICHIGAN SPECIAL TEAMS VS. NOITRE DAME SPECIAL TEAMS
Michigan's Zoltan Mesko is one of the best punters in the nation, but if the Irish put Tate back to return punts, the Wolverines need to be worried. The Irish have a true freshman kicker in Nick Tausch. Michigan's kicker is senior Jason Olesnavage, but he has attempted just one kick in his career, last week against Western Michigan.
Edge: Notre Dame.

MICHIGAN COACHING STAFF VS. NOTRE DAME COACHING STAFF
Both staffs have been under fire. Rich Rodriguez looks to have some skill-position players who understand his offense, something he didn't have last season. New defensive coordinator Greg Robinson - who had been Syracuse's coach - will get more out of the defense this season; he should have some interesting wrinkles cooked up for Clausen. The same goes for new Irish defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, who will have some blitzes to make up for some talent deficiencies in his front seven. The Robinson-Charlie Weis chess match will be a good one.
Edge: Notre Dame.

X-FACTOR
It's the defenses - or, rather, how Michigan's defense handles the run and the Irish's defense handles the pass. Michigan will have success running and Notre Dame will have success throwing. In other words, each offense will do a good job in what it does best. What will determine the game is how the defenses handle the other part of the offenses.

Michigan will win if:
The Wolverines need their young quarterbacks to make some plays in the passing game. Robinson has a strong arm, but he remains raw as a passer. If he, especially, can hit some 20-plus-yard passes, Michigan will be in good shape.

Notre Dame will win if:
The Irish need to keep the pressure off Clausen, so they must run effectively. Notre Dame doesn't need 150 rushing yards; it just needs to be able to run when it needs to. If the Irish are stymied on the ground, it all falls on Clausen - and in that scenario, it's hard to see a one-dimensional offense having that much success against a Robinson-coached defense.

EXPERT PICKS
Olin Buchanan: Notre Dame 34, Michigan 24
Tom Dienhart: Michigan 31, Notre Dame 30
David Fox: Notre Dame 35, Michigan 24
Mike Huguenin: Michigan 28, Notre Dame 24
Jason King: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 21
Steve Megargee: Notre Dame 28, Michigan 27
- Mike Huguenin

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.




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