September 27, 1997
Notre Dame at Michigan Final Stats
By Corey Spinelli, The Scholastic 1997 Football Review
September 27, 1997. A day circled on every Irish fan’s calendar since Michigan kicker Remy Hamilton’s 42-yard field goal with two seconds left spoiled the home debut of Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus three years ago. Few rivalries in college football attract as much national attention or stir as much emotion between two schools as the one between Notre Dame and Michigan.
Though the two teams took a two-year hiatus from playing each other, there was no love lost between the Irish and the Wolverines, and a preseason glance at both teams’ schedules had fans hoping for a match-up of undefeateds in Ann Arbor this September.
But it wasn’t meant to be. After stumbling against both Purdue and Michigan State, the Irish limped into the contest unranked with a dismal 1-2 record. The Maize and Blue, however, had trounced both Colorado and Baylor, outscoring them by a combined total of 66-6. Boasting the number-one rated defense in the country, the sixth-ranked Wolverines entered the game as 14-point favorites. On paper, this wasn’t much of a match-up, considering that Michigan’s defense had yet to allow a touchdown this season and Notre Dame was averaging less than 14 points in its first three games.
What transpired before the 106,508 fans on that sunny day in Ann Arbor, however, is what the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry is all about. Players from two of the most storied programs in history battled for 60 minutes and thrilled the crowd in a 21- 14 Michigan comeback victory. Although the Irish came up just short on the scoreboard, their gutsy performance in a hostile environment reminded their loyal supporters of a hallmark of Notre Dame foot ball: perseverance in the face of adversity.
“I give Michigan credit. They came back in the second half as we knew they could,” Notre Dame Head Coach Bob Davie said. “I think you also have to give our team credit for hanging in against Michigan’s onslaught.”
The Irish did have their share of heroes. There was quarterback Ron Powlus, who, with any hopes of that elusive national championship permanently dashed, stood in the pocket and attacked Michigan’s defense, completing 20 of 27 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown. There was sophomore linebacker Ronnie Nicks, who filled in for an injured Bobbie Howard and caused two crucial fumbles late in the fourth quarter, giving the Irish a chance to tie the game. Receivers Bobby Brown and Malcolm Johnson, much maligned a season ago, continued their marked improvement against Charles Woodson and company, combining for 10 catches, 137 yards and a touchdown. Despite three Michigan fumbles in the final period, all in their own territory, the Irish couldn’t take advantage and walked away with a disheartening loss.
“We had three sudden change turnovers and [didn’t] get any points in the second half,” Davie said. “We could have very easily won this football game.”
Notre Dame received the ball to open the game but did little with it. After the vaunted Michigan offense went three and out on its first possession, the Irish took over for the second time, at their own 22- yard line. Powlus proceeded to pick apart the Wolverine secondary, converting three third-down passes and moving the Irish to the Michigan 7-yard line. A holding penalty, one of four in the game by the Irish, pushed them back to the 15-yard line. Powlus dropped back on second and goal, looking for Brown. The junior wide receiver, running a fade left, turned back in midair and made a brilliant catch in traffic for the score. Jim Sanson tacked on the extra point and the Irish led 7-0. The 12-play drive featured three catches by Brown for 31 yards, while Powlus was a perfect 6 for 6 for 77 yards.
The explosive Wolverine attack answered right back, as senior quarterback Brian Griese led an 11-play, 66-yard drive high lighted by a 21-yard Tai Streets fingertip catch on a third-and-seven from the Notre Dame 45. Running back Clarence Williams’ 4-yard touchdown run five plays later put Michigan on the board, tying the game with 13:40 left in the half. The next four drives ended in punts, two from each team, and when Jason Vinson unloaded a 53- yarder, the Irish found themselves pinned back at their own 2 with 4:13 left in the half. Five carries by Autry Denson gave Notre Dame some breathing room out to the 20, where it faced a third-and-four. A timely draw to Ken Barry caught the Wolverines off guard, as the senior fullback dragged would-be tacklers on his way to a 22-yard carry and first down.
After an Irish time out, Powlus hit Johnson on consecutive plays, moving the ball to the Wolverine 15 with under a minute remaining. Denson carried for three yards and Powlus hit Raki Nelson for 10. Fresh man running back Tony Driver then scored the first touchdown of his career with a 2-yard run over left tackle.The Sanson kick completed Notre Dame’s most impressive drive of the season, a 98-yard, 11-play march in under four minutes. “I really thought we started to tum things around in the first half, particularly that 98-yard drive,” Davie said. “Those are the kind of things that give a football team a chance to turn things around.”
As the teams headed for the locker rooms at the half, it sounded like bedtime in the Big House, except for the raucous Notre Dame faithful cheering along to the Victory March. The 1-2 Irish’s commanding performance had effectively silenced the fifth-largest crowd in Michigan history. Powlus finished the half 11 of 14 for 138 yards and a touchdown, with two of his incompletions coming as a result of a dropped pass and a spike to stop the clock. The Irish outrushed Michigan by 50 yards and racked up 117 more total yards than the Wolverines in the first 20 minutes. “We felt good about coming up here,” Powlus said. “We felt like we had a great effort, especially in that first half. We came out and played the way we wanted to play.”
Notre Dame’s momentum, however, disappeared quickly at the start of the third quarter. In a matter of seconds – 24 to be exact – Michigan got the Big House rocking again. Clarence Williams’ 28-yard kickoff return to the Michigan 44 set up a two-play quick strike drive as Griese hit Streets across the middle, and the Wolverine speedster outraced the Irish secondary for a 41-yard score, tying the game at 14.
After the ensuing kickoff, with the Irish pinned inside their own 20 and the previously quiet crowd now very much alive, the Notre Dame offense reverted to the mistakes that plagued them in their first three games. They committed three penalties for 28 yards, forcing Hunter Smith to punt from his own 19. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson took the kick at the Michigan 38 and returned it 20 yards. The Wolverines took immediate advantage of their field position. They needed only 1:45 to score the go-ahead touchdown, a 14-yard run by fullback Chris Floyd. In a little over five minutes, Michigan had regained the lead 21-14.
The fourth quarter began with the Wolverine offense once again driving toward midfield, looking poised to break the game open. The youthful Irish defense stiffened, however, as Nicks’ hit on Michigan tight end Aaron Shea caused a fumble that was recovered by outside linebacker Lamont Bryant at the Wolverine 47-yard line.
The Irish, trying to take advantage of their good fortune, marched inside the Michigan 10-yard line for a first-and-goal at the 6. Two one-yard carries by Driver brought up a third-and-goal, where the Irish again committed a critical mistake. A delay of game penalty on Powlus pushed them back an other 5 yards and forced a passing situation. Under pressure, Powlus rolled right and saw freshman tight end Jabari Holloway momentarily break open in the end zone. The Irish quarterback’s pass was a little low and left, and Michigan safety Tommy Hendricks made the play of the game – a spectacular diving interception that thwarted the drive.
The Notre Dame defense again refused to yield, causing two more turnovers, both setting the Irish offense up in Michigan territory. The offense went three and out after Nicks’ fumble recovery with 8:46 remaining, but after linebacker Jimmy Friday pounced on a muffed exchange between Griese and Floyd at the Wolverine 28-yard line with five minutes remaining, the Irish were once again in prime position to tie the game.
Three consecutive carries by Denson left Notre Dame with a fourth-and-two. The Irish called a time out before the play, leaving them with only one and virtually guaranteeing that they would not see the ball again if they failed to convert. Instead of taking advantage of the school’s all-time leading passer and possibly catching Michigan off guard (a la Elvis Grbac to Desmond Howard in that same end zone in 1991), offensive coordinator Jim Colletto sent Denson up the middle for no gain on a play that surprised absolutely no one. Michigan then converted one first down, ran the clock out and escaped with the victory.
“We called two plays,.” Colletto said. “And that’s my fault. There was too much noise and the kids couldn’t hear. The [side of the line] where the ball was going, they didn’t even get off on the snap of the ball.”
In a game that dropped the Irish to 1-3, the Irish gave indications of brighter days ahead in the Davie era. Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison’s troops played heroically for four quarters, and the offensive unit was finally given a chance to shine as the passing game opened up a bit for three quarters and moved the ball against a top-notch defense.
Playing well, though, was not enough for players and coaches alike. “The bottom line is the final score and it doesn’t make me feel any better, or anyone else on this team any better, to know we played a little better,” junior guard Mike Rosenthal said.
Coach Davie echoed those sentiments. “I felt like we played better,” he said. “But in all honesty, we came up here to win this football game, and totally intended to win this one.”
So did the Michigan Wolverines. And, for the second consecutive meeting, they
did so in heart-wrenching fashion.