The Clausens and Forciers Settle a Score

When Michigan plays Notre Dame, it’s usually not a bigger deal than any other game of the year. It’s not like they’re bff, but Michigan’s primary hatred is centered on Ohio State, and Notre Dame had much bigger rivalries with USC, Purdue, and Boston College. Historically, Michigan and Notre Dame are rivals, but not to extent that they are with other teams. This year, though, both team marked this game on their schedule. Not only was it about school pride – it was about settling a score.

You see, both Notre Dame’s quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Michigan’s quarterback come from strong California quarterback families. They know one another. They don’t like one another. So, meeting on the field…is personal.

I thought that this game would be interesting, but I never expected the game we actually got. People have been saying that this game will go down in history as one of the best between the two schools, and I have to agree. And really, it all came down to Clausen versus Forcier.

That’s a bit unfair, perhaps. Their were other players who made this game great too – but without the two quarterbacks, it wouldn’t have been so interesting. This was a battle of the minds between the coaches as well. Charlie Weis of Notre Dame has been pressured for the past few years – either shape up or ship out. His team is good, with tons of experience, so there’s no reason that they shouldn’t have been national championship contenders. Now, after a loss to Michigan, that dream has gone out the window. Unless Weis has a god-like rest of the season, he’ll probably be shown the door. The Fighting Irish are fed up.

Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez, on the other hand, is just in his second year at the school. People don’t like him, but maybe he’s an acquired taste. Last year, he said time and time again that the team was rebuilding and getting used to his system…that they wouldn’t be bad forever. I hate to say it, but maybe he was right. The team was strong against the Irish, even with a new quarterback and fairly inexperienced players.

The real test, though, was the second half. Notre Dame dominated during the first half, though Michigan hung in with them. When they went to the locker rooms, however, Michigan fixed their problems, while Notre Dame…patted one another on the back? I don’t know, but whatever Charlie Weis said wasn’t good enough, because Michigan ran all over them, coming back for an amazing win in the final minutes of the game.

Image: Newscom

Point, Forciers.

So now, the real question you have to ask yourself is this: just how good is the Michigan team this year? Could they stand tall against Ohio State? Are they top ten contenders? Could they even potentially be Big Ten champs? Or, have they gotten lucky thus far, taking advantage of mistakes by teams that aren’t really that great?