An unexpected twist to traditional rivalry. Notre Dame fighting for its first win, too
In our weekly glance at the University of Michigan's opposition, we take a closer look at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish:
Where they're from
South Bend, Ind, which is off exit 77 on the Indiana Toll Road.
What they've done
The Fighting Irish are last in the nation in total offense after opening with a 33-3 home loss to Georgia Tech and a 31-10 loss at Penn State.
No. 1 vs. No. 2
It's Michigan, which is No. 1 in all-time wins, winning percentage, television appearances and final composite Associated Press poll rankings, against Notre Dame, which is second in all of those categories.
The last meeting
With Notre Dame ranked No. 2 and promoting quarterback Brady Quinn for the Heisman Trophy, the Wolverines introduced some reality with a 47-21 defeat on Sept. 16, 2006. Mario Manningham had three touchdown catches and the Wolverines intercepted Brady Quinn three times for their largest margin of victory at Notre Dame Stadium.
Lifetime contract
Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and Kevin White, his counterpart at Notre Dame, assured that the schools will continue to meet, seemingly forever. In July, they extended the contract that was due to expire in 2011 to 2031. By then, the freshmen on this year's teams will be 42.
Players to watch
Freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen, right, was the No. 1 rated high school player by Rivals.com. One of his possible targets is tight end John Carlson, who is back as a fifth-year senior. After playing linebacker a season ago, senior Travis Thomas returned to running back. Safety/punt returner Tom Zbikowski, who became the school's all-time leader in tackles by a defensive back last week, is a captain for the second straight season.
