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Robinson tosses complete his coronation as king
over the Fighting Irish.
four first-half After two straight legendary
performances in the past two
intercepions in games against Notre Dame, Rob-
inson would seal his place in the
Notre Dame win storied history of this rivalry. He
would celebrate his 22nd birthday
By BEN ESTES with another dramatic triumph,
Daily Sports Editor in the same stadium where he
introduced himself to the world
SOUTH BEND - It was his as a fresh-faced sophomore.
final game against Notre Dame, But for all the heroics he's
the night for Denard Robinson to displayed in the past against the

Irish, Denard Robinson finally
ran out of magic.
A series of missed opportuni-
ties and head-shaking mistakes -
none more prominent, nor more
crippling, than Robinson's own -
doomed No.18 Michigan in a 13-6
loss to No. 11 Notre Dame.
It's the first time the Wolver-
ines have fallen to the Fighting
Irish since 2008. That's also the
last time Notre Dame forced six
turnovers in a game, which is
likely no coincidence.

"This is the most disappoint-
ed I've been in myself in I don't
know how long," Robinson said.
"Twenty-two years I've been liv-
ing, that's the most disappointed
I've been in myself."
Beginning with the Wolver-
ines' third drive of the game,
those turnovers came on six
straight possessions for Michigan
(2-2). They explain how the team
could lose a game in which it out-
gained its opponent, 299 yards-
239 yards, and how it could look

so punchless while also moving
the ball fluidly at times.
Thanks to inspired play from
the defense - which looked much
improved from its rough perfor-
mances against Alabama and Air
Force - the Wolverines stayed in
it. Down 10-0 entering the fourth
quarter, they finally got on the
board via a 33-yard field goal from
redshirt junior Brendan Gibbons.
After Notre Dame (4-0) picked
up three points of its own, a
31-yarder from Gibbons got

Michigan within one score again
with 3:27 remaining in the game.
That was the end of the come-
back attempt, though - the Irish
picked up a first down after get-
ting the ball back and ran out the
clock from there.
"When yqu're in position to
make plays, you have to make
plays," saidMichigan coach Brady
Hoke. "You have to execute. We'll
learn a lot from this."
The Wolverines' first miscue
See NOTRE DAME, Page 3B

FOOTBALL
Red-zone futility dooms
Wolverines in South Bend

By STEPHEN J. NESBITT
Daily Sports Editor
SOUTH BEND - Denard
Robinson flicked his wrist and
sent a fade into the far corner
of the end zone. Roy Roundtree
looked back, elevated and
grabbed the ball at the peak of
its flight. Touchdown.
Robinson, Michigan's senior
quarterback, gave Roundtree a

point and whirled back around
to the inaudible beat pound-
ing through his headphones as
he stood on the.10-yard line at
Notre Dame Stadium.
It was still warm-ups, an
hour before kickoff, but the
pitch-and-catch combo of Rob-
inson and Roundtree that saved
Michigan against Notre Dame
last season was ready to do it all
again. Except that when they

suited up in their white jerseys,
maize pants and winged hel-
mets, the end zone was nowhere
to be found.
Michigan entered the red
zone on five different drives in
its 13-6 loss to the Fighting Irish
on Saturday but came away with
just six points off two field goals.
Robinson Wand the Wolverines'
offense took 10 snaps in the red
See RED ZONE, Page 3B

tRIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Durrel Robinson watches his brother, Denard, in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame on Saturday in Soath Bend.
Expecting a comeback,
loss stuns Robinsons

ByZACH HELFAND
Daily Sports Editor
SOUTH BEND - Durrel Rob-
inson came back here on Satur-
day, back where the legend of his
little brother, Denard, began.
Now, at halftime, the magic had
eluded the younger Robinson,
but Durrel wasn't nervous.
That would come later.
Durrel sat with his girlfriend
Paris, Robinson's best friend
Steve and Robinson's girlfriend,
who requested anonymity.
Robinson had thrown four

interceptions on four straight
passes by halftime, but Durrel
had seen Robinson's rise, his
502 yards against Notre Dame
two years ago. "It made me feel
proud of him," he said.
The logic is inexplicable.
Except in Michigan, except
with Robinson. We had seen his
astonishing comeback against
the FightingIrish last year. Rob-
inson makes mistakes, plenty of
them, but he never breaks. Not
against Notre Dame.
Plus, Durrell had seen worse
halves from his little brother,

and so with a serious calm,
Durrel said this: "We don't lose
faith."
And why lose faith? They had
weathered the storm. The fun
part was about to begin.
"Did you watch last year's
game?" Denard's girlfriend said.
Notre Dame led 10-0.
The group sat in the fam-
ily and friends section of Notre
Dame Stadium. Steve wore his
See FAMILY, Page 3B

Michigan topples No. 14
Wisconsin on the road
ByALEJANDROZUNIGA
Daily Sports Writer
Forward Nkem Ezurike
scored twice, midfielder Chris- 4
tina Ordonez added a tally of
her own, and the Michigan
women's soccer team's defense
set a program record by hold-
ing its opponents scoreless for
five games straight as it routed
No. 14 Wisconsin, 3-0, on Sun-
day afternoon.
The team's streak of more ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
than 450 minutes without Junior Nkem Ezurike, pictured here in a file photo; scored two goals in Michi-
allowing a goal improved its gan's upset of the Badgers.
conference-leading goals- clean sheet to a back four that teams out of their rhythm,"
against average to a slim .36. was well prepared for the Bad- Ryan said. "Today, it caused
Michigan coach Greg Ryan gers' style of play. - Wisconsin a lot of problems."
attributed his players' latest "We've been able to take See WISCONSIN, Page 4B

t

LUCK OF THE IRISH
0 Notre Dame, on the road back to rel-
evance, finally passed a major landmark
by beating the Wolverines. Page 2B

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
Haley Kopmeyer and the Michigan
women's soccer defense have earned five
consecutive shutous. Page 4B

b