I'm a Michigan fan - and posted a few comments last week. I'm not here to "gloat" - or rub anything in - but, share a few comments - and, you guys can react as you wish.
First, that game was one of the most exciting games I've ever watched. And - I was in South Bend in 2010 for the Michigan game - and can remember Harry Oliver kicking (I think) a 51 yarder into the wind (of course toward Touchdown Jesus) many years ago.
I thought that the game plan that Kelly put together was solid. Forcing Michigan / Denard Robinson (DR) to go through the air was critical. The ND D shut down the Michigan run game, and it was really a one sided contest through three quarters. ND - through its coverage on D and DR's inability to hit receivers through most of the first half - really created a one sided game. Time of Possesion, # of plays, etc. - were all significantly in ND's favor at halftime and through three quarters of the game.
ND's use of Floyd and Wood was solid. Rees showed a lot of composure and was both able to read the blitz packages and hit the hot receiver. I don't know if Michigan was "poor" in hiding the blitzes, or Rees was "good" at picking them up - it really doesn't matter - Rees and the coaches deserve credit for good preparation / recognition.
The turnovers cost ND the game. The one INT near the Michigan end zone could have been explained by coverage, and with more experience - Rees probably won't throw that ball. I've seen similar throws by younger QB's - it happens, and (for ND's sake) hopefully it won't happen much in the future.
One "big" area to focus on (again, in my opinion) - were the 3rd down / short yardage situations that were stopped. Maybe a play action call would have worked better - but, ND needs to do a better job in the execution of that situation when they play Michigan State and Stanford.
To Michigan's credit - they kept plugging away and never threw in the towel. Obviously, a lot of Michigan's yardage came through the air - and was the result of either "jump balls" or seemingly underthrown passes where Michigan's receivers came back and the ND secondary either 1) played the man instead of the ball, or 2) failed to pick up the ball early enough to make a solid play.
Michigan's D also adjusted throughout the game - though I don't know if the adjustments were effective. There were several "big" gains - 15 yards or more - on the ground. Kelly seemed to be focused on a balanced game plan (rushing / throwing) - and though I'm unsure of the split, I'm guessing it was a bit more "pass" than "run". With the way ND / Wood was rushing the ball, it might have been better to just pound it out on the ground when up by 14.
As a Michigan fan - I'm all too familiar with "turnover-itis", and its painful. BK and the staff need to focus on bringing those numbers down to "reasonable" figures - which is two or less per game. If they are able to do that, I'm guessing ND wins a number of games this year.
One final comment - maybe the ND administration will schedule next year's games at night.
I'm respectful of the ND program, and wish you fans and your team success this season.
Until we meet again - on September 22nd, 2012 in South Bend.
