Living in Japan was not gonna stop Bone from seeing the last Michigan Notre Dame game in the Big House. The cowardly Irish had decided to end the Rivalry, perhaps losing the 5 of 6 games may have had something to do with it ! Mike and Bone drove to the House that Yost built, Canham carpeted, and Schembechler filled, the holy of holies, the Big House ! This being the second "Under Lights" game between Michigan and ND in three years, they wondered if it would be as exciting as it was in 2011, when Denard Robinson threw a touchdown with 6 seconds left to in the game.
Old 98?
Before the Game during a special Pre-Game Presentation, Mark Harmon of NCIS and
the son of Tom Harmon came on the field to present Devin Gardner with a special
gift. Gardner
traded in his No.12 jersey for a
unique number for a quarterback these days, Old 98! With a Michigan
Football Legends patch. Tom Harmon was Michigan's first Heisman Trophy winner in
1940.
Michigan looked sharp on their first drive, but ND gave as good as they got. However by Half-Time, ND' Quarterback Tommy Rees through an interception to Blake Countess, which helped Michigan take a 27-13 lead at halftime.
Awesome Half Time !
The Half Time show was a special presentation from Beyonce, who appeared on the Jumbotron while the much better Michigan Marching Band played her pop hits. During Half-time the Boys noticed it was more crowded that usual. No surprise since during the typical end of the third Quarter, it was announced that the 115,109 in attendance was a NCAA record.
Gardner was 21 of 33 for 294 yards. His one interception was costly, though. Trying to avoid a sack in the end zone, he flipped a pass to no one in particular that defensive end Stephon Tuitt came up with to give Notre Dame hope.
Notre Dame pulled within a TD early in the fourth quarter when Tuitt made a diving interception in the end zone -- a few snaps after the Irish turned the ball over on downs -- on a pass Gardner was trying to throw away to avoid a safety.
"I made a horrible decision," Gardner said. "But the Defense gave me a place to stand. They told me they believed in me and I finished it." Then, Kyle Brindza made a 40-yard field goal with 9:15 left to pull Notre Dame within four points.
In the waning moments the Irish were called for pass interference twice -- once on a questionable call when Bennett Jackson intercepted Gardner's pass deep in Notre Dame territory -- on the ensuing drive and Gardner later took advantage by accounting for a fifth TD.
Michigan's Jeremy Gallon had career highs with three TDs and 184 yards receiving. "I can't even imagine having a game like this," he said. "My teammates made this happen, not me."
Fitzgerald Toussaint gave the Wolverines just enough of a running game, gaining 71 yards on 22 carries and he also turned a short pass into a 31-yard catch on the final scoring drive.
Final 41 -30 Meeechigan!!!!
Gardner sealed the victory with a 4-yard TD pass to Drew Dileo with 4:18 left and ran for 14 yards to convert the final third down in the final seconds to set off a celebration.
In the end Tommy Rees threw a second interception with 1:29 left. When it was over, Michigan took one last swipe at Notre Dame before the Fighting Irish said goodbye to the Big House -- at least for a while.
Soon after Gardner took the final snap, the "Chicken Dance" rather than "The Victor's" blared over the stadium sound system, and the Michigan fans who made up most of the NCAA-record crowd of 115,109 celebrated. This was a result of Michigan coach Brady Hoke stating that Notre Dame was "chickening out" of the series four months ago, drawing laughs at a luncheon. The Irish opted out of their contract with the Wolverines and made next year's game in South Bend, Ind., the last guaranteed matchup in a series that dates to 1887 and cancelling three previously scheduled games.
Hoke insisted he didn't tell his team that Irish coach Brian Kelly kicked off the week by saying the series was "a big regional game" even though it features teams with the top winning percentages in college football. Hoke would acknowledge, though, that he and his players were pretty fired up to face the Irish.
"There's certain games that you get
very excited about," Hoke said. This gives Michigan its fourth straight win
in the Big House vs. the Blighted Irish.
That winning streak will stand for a
while sincethe Irish won't play at the Big House again anytime
soon.
After the Game the Boys headed back to Berkley for a celebratory Irish drink at the Blarney Stone called "The Guinness" just before last call.
It was a great end to
simply a GREAT day !!!