Was the Notre Dame game the best game we’ve played in the Harbaugh era?
Was it the most complete game we’ve played on both sides of the ball?
I know we whooped Hawaii, Central Florida and teams like that pretty bad. Rutgers in 2016 but I think this was the best game we’ve played from start to finish.
Penn St 49-10. Maybe the Florida bowl game?
I don’t remember a much better defense than what showed up last Saturday and our offense is better too. The emergence of Haskins is great for a lot of reasons but taking some pressure off of true freshman ZC is another one.
Off topic question that I was asked. “Bet you’d like to trade the ND win for a win vs Wisconsin?”
Our B10 title would still be alive so yes, but ND holding that L for a decade plus gave me pause. Penn St for sure
Go Blue!
October 30th, 2019 at 5:26 PM ^
Definitely one of the best, along with several Revenge Tour game.
Thread-jack....Does Chris Evans return to the team next season?
Sorry!
October 30th, 2019 at 6:26 PM ^
I think Haskins and Charbonnet are better than Chris Evans
October 30th, 2019 at 6:50 PM ^
He has a hearing after Thanksgiving with the school. A follow up on things they wanted him to accomplish. Up to the school then if they will reinstate. If reinstated, once our bowl game is over, he would be eligible to join the team and receive a scholarship IF there is one available.
6.3.6October 30th, 2019 at 5:27 PM ^
We destroyed PSU last year
October 30th, 2019 at 5:32 PM ^
It was the first game that felt like Michigan football to me. Even some of the big recent wins against PSU and Wisconsin felt a little shallow to me. I could be misreading it but it seemed like the first solid convergence of talent, scheme, and energy under Harbaugh. We always seem to be missing 1 or more of the ingredients.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:00 PM ^
Things definitely seemed to come together.
October 30th, 2019 at 9:32 PM ^
Even some of the big recent wins against PSU and Wisconsin felt a little shallow to me.
Recency bias?
Both PSU blowouts (49-10 and 42-7) were by more than Saturday's game, and there was no crazy weather involved.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:32 PM ^
Best performance? Debatable
biggest win? Yep
October 30th, 2019 at 8:35 PM ^
The home win against top 10 Wisconsin seems like it could be debated as a bigger win.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:33 PM ^
Technically, the 2016 Rutgers game was probably the most complete game. But if we're talking about against a varsity football club, then yes.
I would've said the Citrus Bowl in JH's first season, but Florida didn't have a QB for that game. ND came into the game fully healthy and still had their doors blown off.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:41 PM ^
And ND had a bye-week the week before. So 2 weeks to prepare for the game.
(although we’ve shown repeated that having an extra week to prepare is meaningless)
October 30th, 2019 at 10:42 PM ^
I went Michigan in the late 80s/early 90s, and worked in Chicago for a few years. With all my heart - I hate Notre Dame, after listening to dipshit Domer fans for several years.
This was the most satisfying thrashing on both sides of the ball I can remember. As a bonus - Domers have jack shit to say for 13 years, and are now questioning their whole program.
That game was the most fun my friends and I had in watching a Michigan game in a very long time. Go Blue - and To Hell With Notre Dame!
October 30th, 2019 at 11:58 PM ^
Yes...while there are plenty of Wolverine fans in Chicago, to beat Notre Dame is something extra special if you live here...Chicago is a Notre Dame town.
October 31st, 2019 at 7:39 AM ^
This was the most satisfying thrashing on both sides of the ball I can remember. As a bonus - Domers have jack shit to say for 13 years, and are now questioning their whole program.
Sounds like you and I were at Michigan near the same time and I too have a special place of hatred in my heart for Notre Dame. The best part about this 13 years is that this game can't even be used as motivation for whoever is coaching the Irish in 2033. I can see the locker room now with the coach exhorting his players to deliver payback to Michigan for the loss....in 2019 and confused players looking at each other with whispers of, "Dude, I was 5 when that game happened".
Fuck Notre Dame. It delights me to no end that this loss will hurt for over a decade.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:36 PM ^
The beating we gave Penn State last year was the best game we’ve played under Harbaugh. This was a close second. I think both opponents were flawed and we attacked them well.
I’m glad we whipped them but there wasn’t much about the Notre Dame team to make me believe they’re very good. The cheers of “over rated” are apt. That was a 15-18th ranked team before the game and they should be unranked now.
We’ve dominated better offenses than that before. Those guys suck and I would have been alarmed if they doubled their yardage against us
Our offense executed and didn’t make mental mistakes, that is a huge plus especially in the conditions. Their defense looked lost and really didn’t adjust or make any wholesale change to stop what we were doing.
It was a great confidence booster but what I saw was a mentally tough team dismantling a mentally weak team in ugly conditions. ND looked like they’d rather be anywhere else, our guys looked content. That is Kelly’s weak minded team and Harbaugh’s toughness.
As much as I want to say it was our best win, that was a shitty team and we did exactly what good teams do to shitty teams, blow them out.
October 30th, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
The 2016 game had more oomph to me. McSorley and Barkley got shut down. That crazy ass Jabril Peppers punt return.
October 30th, 2019 at 8:57 PM ^
Honest question, How do you explain NDs close call at Georgia if they weren't very good? Georgia is obviously susceptible to off games, but night game in a crazy SEC stadium and ND hung with them. Same scenario and we beat the hell out of them to within an inch of Kelly's career.
October 30th, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
Agree we this. Notre Dame isn’t great, but they’ve got NFL talent on that team. They’re probably a 14-18 type ranked team. The way they hung with Georgia on a road night game was impressive and they were undefeated last year. I think we can have a confidence it’s a good team we beat.
October 30th, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
Honestly, it's probably a closer game in dry weather. Their big matchup advantage (Claypool's height over our DBs) was neutralized by the rain.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:37 PM ^
One of the best; not sure....
I liked the couple of Florida wins
PSU win;
Wisconsin wins
Northwestern win a few years back
October 30th, 2019 at 6:12 PM ^
BYU the week or 2 prior to NW as well
October 30th, 2019 at 5:37 PM ^
There are too many to remember because it’s only a big game when Michigan loses. Haha.
Several candidates come to mind:
2015 - Michigan beats #22 BYU 31-0.
2015 - Michigan beats #13 Northwestern 38-0.
2015/16 - Michigan throttles #19 Florida 41-7.
2016 - Michigan throttles Big Ten Champion Penn State 49-10.
2017 - Michigan beats #17 Florida 33-17.
2018 - Michigan crushes #15 Wisconsin by four TD’s.
2018 - Michigan annihilates #14 Penn State by 5 TD’s.
2018 - Michigan grinds out a rainy 2 TD win vs #24 Sparty.
October 30th, 2019 at 8:36 PM ^
Who was coaching these UM teams? We should rehire that guy, because I hear Harbaugh sucks.
October 30th, 2019 at 9:58 PM ^
In our sports society I know losses don't mean squat but:
2017 Ohio St. was a hell of a gameplan. We did what we could and with any competence under center we win a game against a very good Ohio St. team.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:31 AM ^
The 2015 win @Penn State was pretty impressive. Winning at Happy Valley for the first time since 2006. Maybe not the best of Harbaugh's wins at Michigan, but belongs on that list.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:40 PM ^
I say yes it the biggest win. Underdog at home to a top 10 team.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:43 PM ^
I think it was. It was Harbaugh's first win at M as an underdog, it ties the highest ranked team his teams have beaten (Wisconsin 2016 was also #8) and it was a giant blow out.
PSU 2016, Wisconsin and PSU 2018 also big wins.
One of the best games Harbaugh's M teams has played actually was the loss in the Shoe in 2016. That OSU team was ranked #2 and M had them toe to toe, inches from a win in 2OT. I get that it was a loss but still, the team played really well. I don't think this years ND team is as good as OSU was in 2016 and it was on the road.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:03 PM ^
Some incredible perspective about that season is that OSU team couldn't even manage a single point against Clemson in their next game. Shows how unbalanced college football is when even OSU is completely out of their depth when they have to step up to Bama or Clemson
October 30th, 2019 at 6:52 PM ^
Yeah. The B1G has been a disaster in the playoff era other than the first year when OSU won. 2015 was MSU getting shut 38-0 to Alabama and then OSU shut out by Clemson 31-0. Last 2 years no B1G team got in. It has sort of been masked since Clemson and Bama win every year.
October 30th, 2019 at 9:39 PM ^
Of course that same OSU team may not have scored a TD in regulation against us if not for the two interceptions. If we had taken care of the ball, we probably would have won decisively.
October 30th, 2019 at 5:56 PM ^
I don't know if it was our best game but could be one of the most important.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:03 PM ^
It's hard for me to say, but the important thing to keep in mind is that since we won, this game doesn't mean anything until we win the conference and/or beat aOSU. (A loss, by contrast, would've been Yet Another big game failure under Harbaugh.)
October 30th, 2019 at 6:04 PM ^
I would still say OSU 2016. Big stage, the team overcame a lot in that game as well, and essentially won.
October 30th, 2019 at 11:38 PM ^
This comment made me go back and watch the highlights of that game. Man, we pretty much dominated that game. Five or six sacks. Offense moved the ball with so much flow. The Speight fumble at the goal line in the second half was a bummer. It really shouldn't have come down to OT. In any other universe Michigan wins that game by 10 points.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:07 PM ^
It was the best win of the Harbaugh era...Hoke and Rodriguez eras as well.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:36 PM ^
Maybe in terms of opponent quality and performance. But beating OSU in 2011 and winning a Sugar Bowl definitely meant a lot more to me personally
October 30th, 2019 at 6:10 PM ^
In part because I think it was a win Harbaugh needed in a lot of ways, it was definitely one of the better, more complete performances in a while. I tend to shy away from things like "best" in sports, but it was one of the better and certainly more meaningful wins thus far for Harbaugh.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:16 PM ^
I think last years Wisconsin and PSU games are comparable to this ND game.
i hope our beat down is legit. I rewatched the game several times and ND played like pure shit. Hopefully that is because of our dominance...hopefully
October 30th, 2019 at 6:21 PM ^
We played a great game, but Notre Dame shit the bed as well.
Prolly the not the best game in the Harbaugh era, but man it sure was the most satisfying.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:31 PM ^
Win against ND checks almost all the boxes.
- Rivalry Game
- Top 10 Team
- Underdog
- Prime Time on National TV
- Ass Kicking. We ran for 300 yards!!
Yes, it is Harbaugh’s best win. Only way it would have been better is if it was on the road.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:48 PM ^
October 30th, 2019 at 6:51 PM ^
After watching the game again, Notre Dame really, really played like crap. Self sacks, Bad throws, dropped passes, fumbles, etc. that was likely the worst performance by Notre Dame in many years. While we did play well, sadly I believe the result was inflated by just how horribly Notre Dame played out of their own doing.
October 30th, 2019 at 11:41 PM ^
I prefer to look at it like Michigan destroyed their will early and started rolling the snowball downhill for the Irish.
October 30th, 2019 at 7:14 PM ^
In terms of "complete" game, I think it's about equal with Wisco/PSU last year. Those BYU/Northwestern games in 2015 (both ranked) were pretty complete performances, too.
I think the "biggest" game we've won was 2016 Wisconsin. Top ten matchup. I believe Gameday was in town. Harbaugh's second year. Everything still in front of us.
October 30th, 2019 at 7:16 PM ^
Not sure about best game but I do know this was the most important game of Harbaugh’s tenure.
Then again, so is the game this Saturday at Maryland...
October 30th, 2019 at 7:40 PM ^
Crushing Barkley and Penn State is still the best to me.
October 30th, 2019 at 7:45 PM ^
It was certainly the most dominant, convincing win for a Harbaugh team against a ranked non-conference opponent at the Stadium. I have been attending games since fall 1963 and do not remember a more dominant game against any highly ranked non-conference opponent in those 56 years. They were comparably dominant against Texas A&M in 1977 but A&M does not provide the same competition as Notre Dame in recruiting and the local/national fan base. It could be one of the most important non-conference wins in the history of the Stadium.
October 30th, 2019 at 7:52 PM ^
I just hope it isn't their peak for the season. They will need to hit their peak against OSU. Last season I felt they topped out against PSU and never quite got back that mojo.
This season, so far, feels like a steadier uptick with more room to improve.
October 30th, 2019 at 8:13 PM ^
The Rudock Florida game was magical. We didn't just win, we destroyed their will to live.
Half a dozen players went to the NFL from that Florida team. We ended up sending damn near the whole defense to the NFL.