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Irish tops No. 3 Michigan; Weis like Rockne?


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On a sneak from inside Notre Dame’s 1, Henne was ruled down, but a review showed that he fumbled and that the Irish’s Chinedum Ndukwe recovered the ball in the end zone. On the ensuing possession, officials ruled that Quinn fumbled, but a review showed that his knee was down, allowing the Irish to keep the ball deep in their territory.

Each time, Michigan’s student section responded by throwing water bottles and other debris on the field.

“I’m confident and hopeful those calls were properly made because if they weren’t, that would obviously be an issue,” Carr said.

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Quinn was 19-for-30 for 140 yards and Darius Walker ran for 104 yards for the Irish.

D.J. Fitzpatrick’s 43-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter gave Notre Dame a 17-3 lead.

On its next possession, Walker fumbled, giving Michigan some hope.

The Wolverines drove to Notre Dame’s 5, but were turned away after being stuffed on two runs and two passes that fell incomplete. They got inside Notre Dame’s 1 on their next possession, before Henne’s fumble.

Henne was 19-of-44 for 223 yards with a TD. He was intercepted at Notre Dame’s 1 in third quarter and had the key fumble in the fourth. Kevin Grady, replacing the injured Mike Hart, ran for 79 yards. Jason Avant caught five passes for 90 yards.

image: Weis
Carlos Osorio / AP
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis looks on from the sidelines.

The game was a defensive struggle as the Wolverines were held to their lowest point total since Iowa beat them 34-9 in 2002. That game started a home-winning streak that Notre Dame snapped in front of 111,386 fans.

Both teams lost a key player in the first half. Michigan running back Michael Hart left after being hit hard by linebacker Corey Mays in the first quarter. Notre Dame’s McKnight twisted his right knee after being tackled by Brandent Englemon on an incomplete pass in the second quarter.

Steve Breatson’s 30-yard reverse on the last play of the first quarter gave Michigan the ball in Irish territory for the first time. Garrett Rivas’ 38-yard field goal made it 7-3.

Notre Dame responded with its second 12-play drive for a TD, capped by Quinn’s 5-yard pass to Jeff Samardzija for a 14-3 lead with 4:24 left in the second quarter.

After the Irish’s strong start offensively, Michigan’s much-maligned defense held them in check for the most part, limiting them to 244 yards.

“We lost a football game, but I think we found a defense,” Carr said.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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