Previously: Krushed By Stauskas (Illinois 2014), Introducing #ChaosTeam (Indiana 2009), Revenge is Terrifying (Colorado 1996), Four Games In September I (Boston College 1991), Four Games In September II (Boston College 1994), Four Games In September III (Boston College 1995), Four Games In September IV (Boston College 1996), Pac Ten After Dark Parts One and Two (UCLA 1989), Harbaugh's Grand Return Parts One and Two (Notre Dame 1985), Deceptive Speed Parts One and Two (Purdue 1999)

Week One: 1993 Washington Part One, Part Two, 2002 Washington Twitch stream

This Game: Condensed game, WH highlights, box score, MGoPreview, Denard After Dentist, Offense UFR, Defense UFR, a Notre Dame fan's live blog

Part One: Click here

REMINDER: WE WILL BE STREAMING THIS GAME WITH COMMENTARY AT NOON EASTERN TOMORROW ON TWITCH, THERE WILL BE A POST ON THE FRONT PAGE

Michigan is down 17-7 at halftime and without a couple Tommy Rees interceptions it could be much worse. David Pollock says the Wolverines have "gotta go sandlot" in the second half, which every M partisan agrees with wholeheartedly. ESPN airs highlights set to "Something to Believe In" by Parachute, a band not memorable enough to place this game in its time from the segment alone.

To make matters worse, Notre Dame receives the second-half kickoff and immediately reestablish two themes from the first half. Michael Floyd gets a quick first down, prompting Kirk Herbstreit to state "he’s a tough matchup for any secondary but especially this Michigan secondary," which isn't particularly subtle. Then Cierre Wood bursts for another chunk gain as Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen are clubbed out of the hole. Brent Musburger notes ND is now leading in total yardage 298 to 90.

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Following back-to-back short completions to Floyd, though, Van Bergen breaks through for a third-down TFL. Brian Kelly chooses to punt on fourth-and-three from Michigan's 43, a conservative call that nearly backfires in two ways: punter Ben Turk salvages a bouncing snap and bobbles it just long enough that he technically isn't down while he picks it up. Instead of Michigan getting the ball near midfield, Jeremy Gallon fair catches the ball at the ten.

Denard Robinson immediately picks up 39 yards on a zone read keeper—of sorts, since Al Borges has his offensive line block both defense ends, so the read is more a hope that Manti Te'o will choose the wrong gap, and he obliges.

"So the Irish better get ready," says Musburger. "Here comes number 16."

[After THE JUMP: Here comes number 16.]

Unfortunately, we have to wait a little longer. Harrison Smith makes a great tackle on Denard in the open field; Denard's number is now falling off of his helmet despite the repair effort of Roy Roundtree. Kapron Lewis-Moore buries another keeper deep in the backfield, eventually forcing another plus-territory punt, albeit a much more understandable one on fourth-and-seven.

When we return, ESPN announces the new record attendance of 114,804.

The Irish again threaten to break the game open as Jonas Gray bursts off tackle for 38 yards. But Tommy Rees burns a timeout with the play clock running down, bringing forth the wrath of Kelly, and the following play doesn't go as designed. Wood doesn't exactly get hit hard before dropping the football to the turf.

Surely that'll be the weirdest, most inexplicable fumble tonight.

Another promising start to a Michigan drive is wasted. After Kevin Koger converts the team's first third down of the game—which, yikes—Denard throws an armpunt into double coverage while the fullback is wide open on a wheel route.

Zeke Motta makes the easy interception. Denard is furious with himself.

The defense can't hold the dam any longer. Wood makes both safeties miss on another jaunt to midfield. Michael Floyd beats J.T. Floyd to move the chains again. "It’s third down, you’re in man to man, and you’re going up against J.T. Floyd?" says Herbstreit. "With all due respect to J.T. Floyd, you don’t have a chance.”

While Michigan's Floyd sticks with Notre Dame's Floyd and maybe gets away with a jersey tug to break up a potential touchdown pass, it only delays the inevitable. With Floyd clearing out coverage, T.J. Jones—yes, another ND skill player who'll spend a long time in the NFL—catches a crossing route, turns the corner, and tightropes the sideline for a score. With the extra point, the Irish take a 24-7 lead with 2:13 to go in the third quarter. Michigan's outlook is bleak.

Before a holding on the kickoff return sets Michigan back, Musburger notes that the Wolverines haven't had a drive longer than four plays in their nine possessions. It's time for some sandlot ball, which is the only way to describe Robinson's 77-yard completion to Junior Hemingway.

Okay!

"Keep the ball in the hands of Denard Robinson,” says Herbie. After an ill-fated Michael Shaw handoff loses yardage—WHAT DID THE SMART MAN JUST SAY, AL—Denard takes a dead-in-the-water waggle and scrambles his way to the verge of the goal line. After review, the call on the field is confirmed; he's just short of the end zone, and the clock on the third quarter expires before another snap.

"Herbie, if Coach Hoke’s team bangs it in here, we’ve got a pretty exciting fourth quarter," says Musburger.

The fourth quarter opens with a touchdown, though it comes at the cost of a collective heart attack. The play sets the tone for what remains the most ludicrous, improbable quarter of football I've ever witnessed.

Denard saves Stephen Hopkins from goat status and keeps Michigan alive, cutting the deficit to ten. The Wolverines still haven't run more than four plays in a single drive. 

The crowd has new life, too, and they bring the noise when a funky kickoff bounce helps pin ND deep and Brandin Hawthorne almost single-handedly forces a three-and-out.

Denard finds the fullback this time on a waggle to John McColgan that nets a first down, then gets one himself on the ground with critical blocking assistance from Vincent Smith. He burns a timeout with the play clock running out, which feels foreboding, though in contrast to the other sideline nobody's face turns purple. On the other side, Denard targets 5'8" receiver Jeremy Gallon on a fade against 5'11" cornerback Gary Gray.

"When I saw him initially throw this, I thought, ‘What are you doing?'" says Herbie. 24-21, Irish. It's pure pandemonium in the Big House. There's still 10:47 on the clock.

As he's done all night, Rees finds his playmakers to move Notre Dame back into scoring territory, though he has to use another late-clock timeout and get chewed out by Kelly in the process. A dubious pass interference call on Courtney Avery gives the Irish a first-and-goal. Rees drops back to pass, spots his target, and... throws air.

I have good news and bad news for Cierre Wood. Van Bergen's recovery gives the offense 91 yards to cover; ND fans have to be getting flashbacks to Denard's late-game heroics in 2010. After a rough start, a roughing the passer call is tacked onto another heave to Hemingway to move the ball all the way to the ND 30. When Denard tries another jump ball to Gallon, however, his diminutive receiver can't get his footing, giving Robert Blanton the upper hand to make what could be the game-sealing pick. ESPN's wire cam pans over the student section and captures a living meme.

This Notre Dame offense is plenty capable of burning 4:23 off the clock against a shaky defense with only two timeouts. Jake Ryan makes one of the forgotten plays of the game, however, when he tears off the edge to stop Wood in the backfield on third-and-one; Kenny Demens adds a hit to ensure there's no forward progress. With more than two minutes still to play, Hoke decides to bank the timeouts, and Gallon returns Turk's punt 21 yards into plus territory.

This feels like the game-deciding drive, even more so after two of the first three plays are Denard runs, which combine to move the sticks by this much.

Kelvin Grady breaks open on a corner route, going out of bounds to stop the clock with the ball at the 21. Then, for what seems like the hundredth time, Denard rolls to his right—only this time, Smith leaks out to the left, and a couple nasty jukes later, Michigan leads and the Big House is as loud as it's ever been.

Holy shit.

Now bend but, for the love of all things sacred and holy, don't break. The kickoff team bends by letting Theo Riddick to slip out to the ND 39. J.T. Floyd bends by grabbing his opposite Floyd on what very well could've been a touchdown otherwise, drawing a pass interference flag. The second level bends by allowing a combined 17 yards on completions to Tyler Eifert and T.J. Jones. Greg Mattison tires of the bending, bringing a heavy blitz that causes a miscommunication and harmless incompletion.

Mattison goes back to the well on the next snap. The secondary busts the coverage. The defense breaks.

Thirty seconds is not a lot of time, even with Denard Robinson.

The kickoff goes deep into the end zone, which at least doesn't take time off the clock. On first down, Denard steps up through pressure but his throw to Gallon is uncatchably high. One might think that would cause the Irish defense to pay some attention to Gallon on the next play. It's time to turn this over to our favorite unreliable narrator, Notre Dame radio play-by-play man Don Criqui.

More? Twist my arm. Here's the throw to Gallon as called by Musburger.

As well as the Roundtree touchdown and ensuing bedlam.

There are two seconds left, which in this game now feels like an eternity.

The final kickoff eludes Notre Dame's returners and is picked up by Michigan receiver Terrence Robinson; the rules dictate he can't advance the ball but nobody ever follows that rule in real time, so we get to see him dive for the end zone, the ball bounce out the back, and VIKING OUT OF NOWHERE STEVE EVERITT join the celebration.

The scene is an absolute scene.

After several minutes of revelry, ESPN's Chris Fowler gets Denard on set for a live Sportscenter interview. When Denard hears his own yardage total, he sums up the game better than words can capture.

Fin.