What a night. This one will be remembered for the pounding rain for most of the game but also for the complete effort on the field against a top-tier opponent and of course, a rival. As a bonus, this is sweet historically knowing we’ll likely not see the Irish until 2033. To the sights and sounds:
Definitely. While at least half the students bolted at halftime, you felt them all game – from the pinpoint towel-tossing to the vocal pipes flex during the breaks. In case you lost your Creedence tapes this might help, here’s the entire Michigan Stadium student section singing CCR’s Have you Ever Seen the Rain?
White Lines. Read this thread for the context and more photos but–in a nutshell this week Michigan, and coincidently Ohio State ditched the white field lines that had run over their respective midfield logos this season. Requiring the lines to be visible through field logos is apparently another ridiculous NCAA regulation that no one follows. Except that U-M and the Buckeyes did…for a few weeks.
Earlier this year:
And P.S., to the Twitterati who came at me with “Who cares???” tweets when I pointed out the white lines, a) you might want to switch channels because this is basically what I do, and b) suck it – look what happened.
Refs are Tossers. Below, a shot from upstairs of the students peppering the Irish with rally towels. Why? To make sure the refs were clear on how they felt about the Hudson PI call on that drive:
Students pissed about the PI call pic.twitter.com/PVfSnnnvAj
— MVictors (@MVictors) October 27, 2019
Mood. Way up, with room to run:
Business is good. Remember this from the 2013 Sports Illustrated piece on our khaki-clad leader? On a charitable mission to South America, Harbaugh set a Peruvian rando straight on his business relationship with the Irish:
Natural Enemies. Speaking of the rivalry, I am firmly in the camp that we should play this game every year.
Where’d you get this jacket? Well done by #1000SSS for honoring Ty Law and Tom Mack on their NFL HOF careers.
.@UMichFootball Legends.
— Michigan Athletics (@UMichAthletics) October 27, 2019
Unveiling of Tom Mack and Ty Law’s College Hometown Hall of Famer plaques by the @ProFootballHOF! Mack played from 1963-65 and Law played from 1992-94. #GoBlue ? pic.twitter.com/AL4Ndw4qRQ
And extra points for reaching out to Law. Don’t tell anyone but I have a “gut feeling” that the relationship between him and the football program has been a tad strained since he left U-M early for the NFL – a quarter-century ago. I also have a gut feeling that the career decision worked out pretty well for Law. So let’s move on.
Ufer. Saturday marked 38 years ago since we lost the iconic U-M radio voice. A small tribute to Ufe on This Week in Michigan Football History here. Oh, and did anyone else hear M Stadium PA man Carl Grapentine slip in a “MEECHIGAN” or two Saturday night?
Historical Game Notes. Via #1000SSS:
- In the 44th meeting between these two programs, Michigan improved to 25-18-1 all-time. This was the ninth nighttime meeting between U-M and Notre Dame, and the home team has won each contest (U-M is 3-0 at Michigan Stadium).
- Michigan’s 31-point win (45-14) marks its third-largest margin of victory against Notre Dame in series history, trailing 38-0 wins in 2003 and 2007.
- The 45 points scored by the Wolverines are their second-most against Notre Dame behind the 47 they scored in 2006 in a 47-21 win in South Bend, Indiana.
- Since 1997, the home team has gone 15-3 in the series, with wins in six straight matchups.
Don’t Forget. As Halloween approaches, a quick reminder of the greatest holiday tweet ever:
I love Halloween.
— ????? (@JamesHarbaughJr) November 1, 2017
There’s nothing like that magical feeling of opening your door to 4 men dressed as your dad asking you for candy.
[Thanks to Mark Kolanowski of MK Photo for the game pics. Follow Instagram and Flickr – all photos from the game are here.]
