A look at what the media is saying after Notre Dame's 45-14 blowout loss to Michigan.
Lou Somogyi, Blue & Gold Illustrated: Rapid Review: Michigan 45, Notre Dame 14
1. TOP 3 STORYLINES
• The victory didn't match the largest ever in the series, which were 38-0 shutouts by Michigan in 2003 and 2007, while the Irish had a 31-0 decision in 2014. It was also the third-largest margin of defeat in the 10-year Brian Kelly era, behind only the 41-8 loss at Miami in 2017 at No. 2 and 49-14 at USC in 2014 as No. 1.
The 45 points also were the second highest total by either team in the series, behind Michigan's 47-21 win at No. 2 Notre Dame in 2006.
• Notre Dame entered the game No. 1 in turnover margin (plus-1.67 per game) while Michigan was No. 84 (minus-0.29) — and No. 109 among 130 FBS teams in turnovers committed with 14. The Wolverines won the turnover battle, 2-0.
• Michigan ended an eight-game losing streak versus top-10 teams, while Notre Dame lost its 11th consecutive game to a top-20 team when playing on the road at the opponent's on-campus site.
Vince DeDario, Blue & Gold Illustrated: Thoughts From The Press Box
- Senior quarterback Ian Book struggled mightily today. He was back to his old tricks in that he was bailing out of the pocket early all night, rarely coming off of his first read, and just not playing with the poise that we saw from him in the final drive of the USC game two weeks ago. He had an absolute unwillingness to throw the ball downfield unless the receiver was wide open which was rarely the case in this game. He had a few nice back-shoulder throws and senior wide receiver Chase Claypool made some nice catches on those throws but it was by far too few and far between.
- Claypool did have an overall nice game for Notre Dame. He was able to high point a few balls and really display his pass catching ability and overall athleticism. He is developing into a true number one receiver. He did have one bad drop on a third down play but it was his first drop of the season. Another ball went right through his hands on a first down play late in the game but I am not sure they are going to classify that as a drop. I certainly would have.
- The defensive front for the Irish really struggled with containing not only Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson but also the running backs for the Wolverines. They constantly allowed cutback lanes and were not sound in their gap integrity rules. Too many times the inside linebacker duo of Drew White and Asmar Bilal would come down so hard and over pursue that it made it so easy for the Michigan line to block them using their own momentum against them. At one point on one of the long runs by Michigan in the first half both White and Bilal came crashing down into the same gap and allowed a single lineman to block both of them.
Any remote chances Notre Dame had to return to the College Football Playoff went out the window on a rain-soaked Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
The No. 8 Fighting Irish were trounced by No. 19 Michigan, 45-14, and mustered a measly 180 yards of offense in the process — 75 of which came on one garbage time drive. It was that ugly. A complete no-show.
Ian Book turned in a miserable performance, completing just eight of his 25 passes for 73 yards. The running game — 47 yards on 31 carries — was equally dreadful.
Plenty of that ineptitude can be attributed to a swarming Michigan defense, but the Irish — coming off a bye — had no juice all night. When, in the first quarter, Notre Dame somehow managed to give the ball back to Michigan despite blocking a punt (a Notre Dame tried to recover the loose ball, only for it to deflect off him and get recovered by a Michigan player), you knew it wasn’t going to be a good night for the Irish.
Douglas Farmer, NBC Sports: Michigan throttles No. 8 Notre Dame in all facets
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Few things went right for No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 19 Michigan on Saturday, and even those that did, they still went wrong in a 45-14 loss. When the Irish (5-2) blocked a punt, it resulted in a Wolverines first down. When Notre Dame’s defense stopped Michigan (6-2) for six straight drives, its offense did nothing with the opportunities. When the coaching staff waved a white flag by turning to sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec, he stumbled untouched for a 12-yard loss on his first snap.
It was that kind of night for the Irish.
“They were the better team tonight in all phases,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “We certainly didn’t coach well enough tonight and didn’t play well enough. … That’s not our identity, but that’s what we showed tonight, and we own what we showed this evening.
“It was by the score of whatever it was, by a wide margin, Michigan’s night. They were the better team.”
The 45-14 final tally will undoubtedly be remembered, as a couple other scores have been in this rivalry, but Kelly was right that this shellacking went beyond the scoreboard. No single number can entirely encapsulate how poor Notre Dame’s showing was, but nearly any stat illustrates how ineffectual its offense was. The Irish sent Jurkovec out behind center halfway through the fourth quarter, a choice Kelly said was a result of the then 31-7 score. Up to that point, with senior Ian Book leading the way, Notre Dame had gained 103 total yards.
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