Michigan
1-1
Notre Dame
2-0
Third-Ranked Wolverines Upset by No. 20 Notre Dame
9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football team failed to connect in its deep passing game, leading to a 17-10 Notre Dame victory Saturday (Sept. 10) in front of 111,386 fans at Michigan Stadium. The Irish's victory, its first in Ann Arbor since 1993, ended a 16-game home winning streak for the Wolverines.
Senior receiver Jason Avant (Chicago, Ill./Carver HS) led the Wolverines with five catches for 90 yards, while senior tight end Tyler Ecker (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oakridge HS) pitched in seven catches for 74 yards. Freshman receiver Mario Manningham (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding HS) who scored Michigan's only touchdown of the day late in the fourth quarter, and sophomore quarterback Chad Henne (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson HS) went 19-of-44 for 223 yards with an interception and a touchdown.
Defensively, junior defensive back Leon Hall (Vista, Calif./Vista HS) had two sacks, both coming in the third quarter, to go along with three solo tackles. Hall and fellow corner Grant Mason (Pontiac, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS), who had 16 tackles, chased Notre Dame receivers around all afternoon as Brady Quinn went 19-of-30 for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
The Irish got on the board first with a 12-play, 76-yard drive, capped by a five-yard Rhema McKnight touchdown reception from Quinn. Running back Darius Walker fueled the drive, touching the ball seven times for 41 yards, including a nine-yard reception to move the ball to the Michigan seven. The Irish scored two plays later.
Despite trailing Notre Dame 102 to 51 in total yards, the Wolverines only trailed 7-0 going into their first scoring possession, a 38-yard field goal off the foot of junior Garrett Rivas (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit HS). The highlight of the drive came on first-and-10 from the Michigan 44-yard line, when Henne handed the ball off to freshman Kevin Grady (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids HS), who sprinted right before flipping the ball back to senior Steve Breaston (North Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills HS), who raced outside fifth-year left tackle Adam Stenavich (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield HS) and down the sideline for 30 yards. The play also featured a crushing block by Henne which helped spring Breaston free. The Rivas field goal brought the score to 7-3 with 14:04 left in the first half.
Notre Dame extended its lead to 14-3 as Quinn found Jeff Samardzija coming across the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass. Michigan sophomore defenseman Chris Graham (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central HS) was able to get a hand on the ball, but not enough to pull down the interception, as Samardzija ripped the ball away for his second touchdown grab in as many games.
The Wolverines failed to move the ball the rest of the half, entering the locker room in a 14-3 hole. Michigan produced only five first downs to Notre Dame's 14, as the Irish racked up 188 total yards compared to Michigan's 113.
Coming out of the locker room the Wolverines looked to change the tide, methodically moving the ball to the Notre Dame 12-yard line. Powerful runs by Grady mixed with catches by Ecker had the Wolverines knocking on the door, but a Henne interception to strong safety Tom Zbikowski, who jumped an Ecker out route, ended the Michigan drive.
After neither team was able to score in the third quarter, Notre Dame opened up the fourth with a 43-yard D.J. Fitzpatrick field goal that barely cleared the crossbar, extending the Irish lead to 17-3 with 14:11 left in the game.
After U-M gave the ball back to the Irish, senior inside linebacker David Harris (Grand Rapids, Mich./Ottawa Hills HS) forced Walker to fumble in the backfield, leaving the Wolverines' offense to set up shop at the Notre Dame 18-yard line. Michigan failed to punch the ball in the end zone, with the drive ending on an incomplete fade pass to Avant.
The Michigan defense forced the Irish to punt on the ensuing series, giving the Wolverines the ball at their own 39-yard line with 6:44 left in the fourth quarter. Henne then found Avant on a fourth-and-4 for a 54-yard pass, setting up the Maize and Blue at the one-yard line. The Wolverines ended up giving the ball back to Notre Dame, as a fumbled snap rolled into the end zone only to be recovered for an Irish touchback.
Manningham recorded his first career catch as he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown from Henne, making it a one-possession game at 17-10 with 3:47 remaining. The drive started out with an 18-yard completion to Avant, but after three attempts failed to net a first down, Henne went deep on fourth down to his freshman receiver on a post route.
Michigan would only have one more series before the end of the game, as Notre Dame ran out the clock to hold on to a 17-10 victory.
The Wolverines will complete their three-game homestand next Saturday (Sept. 17) in the battle of Washtenaw County, as they take on the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. The gane is scheduled for a noon kickoff and will be televised regionally on ESPN-Plus and ESPNU.
Contact: Dave Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
UND 7, MICH 0
UND - McKNIGHT 5 yd pass from QUINN, B. (FITZPATRICK kick) 12 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:58
UND 7, MICH 3
MICH - Rivas, Garrett 38 yd field goal 5 plays, 35 yards, TOP 1:15
UND 14, MICH 3
UND - SAMARDZIJA 5 yd pass from QUINN, B. (FITZPATRICK kick) 12 plays, 72 yards, TOP 4:25
UND 17, MICH 3
UND - FITZPATRICK 43 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 1:21
UND 17, MICH 10
MICH - Manningham, M. 25 yd pass from Henne, Chad (Rivas, Garrett kick) 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 0:37
