Alec Cohen / Daily Design by Jack Silberman
Cesar Ruiz heard the question, then
he cracked a smile.
Do you guys feel like you wrote
a memorable chapter in this rivalry
tonight?
The
junior
center
responded
immediately: “Um, yes.”
Last week, Michigan got its second
loss at Penn State, effectively ending any
hopes of a Big Ten championship and
the College Football Playoff. In the days
leading up to the Wolverines’ matchup
with Notre Dame, the biggest question
was clear: What is there still to play for?
Michigan players insisted there was
still plenty, most of all the chance to
beat their rivals, but it was still a little
hard to believe. At least, until Hassan
Haskins ran 25 yards — several with a
tackler on his back — on the Wolverines’
second drive of the game, one that
eventually ended in a Zach Charbonnet
touchdown.
And as the heavens descended on Ann
Arbor, Michigan seemed unfazed. An
offense that had struggled for explosive
plays all year ripped off four 20-plus
yard runs in the first half alone. The
Wolverines (6-2 overall, 3-2 Big Ten)
rode that run game and their typical
stingy defense to a 45-14 win over No. 8
Notre Dame (5-2) in arguably the most
impressive win of the Jim Harbaugh
era.
“We realized after (last week), going
into this week for Monday’s practice
that offensively, we’ve gotta come out
that way from start to finish,” said
senior quarterback Shea Patterson. “You
can’t come out flat and expect to make a
comeback in the end. They helped out
our defense, our defense played lights
out tonight. I thought we executed all
night offensively and I think the results
show for themselves.”
Though Michigan had to settle for a
field goal on its first drive, it made one
thing clear: it was run-it-down-their-
throats time.
Patterson didn’t complete a pass until
the second quarter, after his team was
already up 10-0 — and with the rainy
conditions, it was probably for the better.
After the field goal, the Wolverines
scored touchdowns on two straight
drives, both by freshman running back
Zach Charbonnet. And after he pulled a
defender with him on the first of those
two drives, Haskins hurdled his would-
be tackler in the second, an encore to a
20-yard rush that sent 110,000 fans in
maize ponchos into a frenzy.
“We said in the locker room, we knew
what kind of game it was gonna be,” Ruiz
said. “We changed the openers a little
bit. We knew we were gonna be ground
and pounding a lot today. It’s the game
we’ve been waiting for. We love running
the ball. And just, we knew today was
gonna be the day we were gonna be able
to showcase it.”
Haskins finished with 149 yards
on 20 attempts, a career high, while
Charbonnet added 74 yards on 15
attempts for two touchdowns and tied a
program-record nine touchdowns for a
freshman running back.
As the rain slowed in the third
quarter, so did Michigan — going three-
and-out on three consecutive drives and
then giving up a touchdown to cut its
lead to 10. But the Wolverines stayed the
course, coming back for a touchdown
drive that included a Haskins 49-yard
rush to put them up, 24-7. Then, they
opened up the passing game and ran up
the score with three touchdowns in the
fourth quarter.
Through
the
entire
game,
the
Wolverines found an offensive identity
and stuck to it, never deviating from the
run, even when those drives stalled in
the third quarter. Notre Dame did the
opposite, looking befuddled with every
move Michigan made. Book readied to
throw, even with pass-rushers in his
face on nearly every play, even when the
ball slipped around as rain continued to
fall.
With their fierce running game, the
Wolverines answered the questions of
offensive identity that have surrounded
them all season. They also answered the
question of whether a rivalry win was
enough of a motivation for a team whose
goals were much loftier.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | October 28, 2019
MICHIGAN GETS SIGNATURE WIN, DESTROYS NOTRE DAME IN RAINSTORM
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