Pete DiPrimio, sports columnist and college beat writer for The News-Sentinel of Fort Wayne, Ind., takes his best shots on the world of Notre Dame football.

Saturday, September 16

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.

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