ND Loses In Every Way

Are you over your shock yet? Of course you’re not. Notre Dame’s thank-you-sir-may-I-have-another meltdown today against Michigan -- which included the likely end of quarterback Brady Quinn’s Heisman consideration -- was as bad as it could be.

Hey, at least the Irish looked good in the crowd-pleasing pre-game walk from Mass to Notre Dame Stadium. After that, it was a disaster of national-title-wrecking proportions.

Attacking defense turned offensive early. Michigan linebacker Prescott Burgess returned an interception 31 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. A few minutes later Notre Dame safety Chinedum Ndukwe returned an interception 51 yards to set up Quinn’s 3-yard TD pass to fullback Ashley McConnell. The score was tied at 7-7 and all things were still possible.

If you figured the No. 2 Irish were poised to take over the game and left to cut the grass, congratulate yourself. You saved yourself three hours of misery.

The No. 11 Wolverines (3-0) dominated in all phases and seem likely to move into the top-five in this week’s polls. As for Notre Dame (2-1), well, in its biggest test of the year it flopped big-time. It can redeem itself in two months at USC, but that’s small consolation. If you get hammered in your own stadium, well, there's still a lot to play for -- just not, more than likely, a national championship.