NOTRE DAME - Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson dropped back to pass with five minutes left in the third quarter. He tripped over his own feet, stumbled backward and nearly fell to the ground.
The play almost ended right there. But Jackson steadied himself, looked up and saw wide receiver Raki Nelson downfield with no Michigan player in sight. He threw the ball to Nelson, who pranced into the end zone, giving the Fighting Irish a 23-13 lead.
The game followed in the same manner. The 22nd-ranked Fighting Irish came close to falling, but they regained their poise and upset the fifth-ranked Wolverines, 36-20, in front of 80,012 people in South Bend on Saturday.
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| WARREN ZINN/Daily Tight end Jerame Tuman, who had two catches (including a touchdown from Drew Henson) hangs his head in frustration during Michigan's 36-20 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday. |
For Michigan, however, the game marked the beginning of defending the 1997 national championship. Returning with what was hailed as one of the top defensive units in the country and a wealth of talent throughout the team, the Wolverines yielded the most points they have since 1991. It was also the most the Irish have ever scored against the Wolverines.
Needless to say, the title defense began poorly.
"We've got to go out and defend what's ours," Michigan defensive end Juaquin Feazell said. "But today, Notre Dame was the better team."
Going into the game, the primary concern for the Michigan defense was figuring out Notre Dame's new-look option offense. Jackson, an extremely quick and athletic quarterback, was stifled in the first half and the Wolverines limited the Irish to six points.
The Wolverines, on the other hand, appeared to dominate on offense during the first half. Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, starting in his first collegiate game, marched the Wolverines down the field consistently. The Wolverines converted two field goals and scored a touchdown on Brady's one-yard plunge.
On two occasions, however, kicker Kraig Baker missed field goal attempts, and Michigan had to settle for field goals twice after having faltered within the Notre Dame 20 yard line.
"I think, without question, that it was a game of momentum," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We had some in the first half, but we didn't take advantage of the opportunities."
And with a couple of critical Michigan turnovers in the second half, that momentum swung in Notre Dame's favor.
With 11:23 left in the third quarter - immediately after the Irish converted a 32-yard field goal and cut the lead to four points - Michigan's Clarence Williams fumbled on the kickoff return. The ball was recovered by Notre Dame's Tony Driver on the Michigan 34.
Shortly thereafter, Jackson hit a wide-open Dan O'Leary in the back of the end zone to give the Irish a 16-13 lead - one they would not relinquish.
"Notre Dame got the momentum in the second half, and then we turned the ball over," Carr said. "So instead of turning the momentum around, we maintained the momentum for Notre Dame."
For the Wolverines, the second half was filled with missed opportunities and field goals. A Ray Jackson fumble, a blocked field goal attempt and another missed field goal added up to one thing: a Michigan defeat.
"It didn't seem like we were on the field much in the second half," Brady said. "I didn't think it was a matter of them stopping us. We just didn't get too many chances."
There were a couple of bright spots for the Wolverines. Brady completed 23 of 36 passes and tossed for 267 yards.
Wide receivers Tai Streets and Marcus Knight ran for 101 and 126 yards, respectively. Williams ran for 115 yards on 13 carries.
Oddly enough, those positives were in areas that were of concern while the seemingly strong defense faltered. The last time the Wolverines gave up 30 points in a single half was 1991.
"We need to find out where the heart of this defense lies," Michigan linebacker Dhani Jones said.
09-08-98
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