Film never lies. Just ask Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.
After his Wolverines beat Northern Illinois 33-17 on Saturday, Carr said that aside from giving up a 76-yard touchdown run to Garrett Wolfe, his defense “did a very good job.”
But what was obvious to most observers became clear to Carr after he got a bird’s-eye view.
“We need to play harder,” Carr said. “We need to play more physical.”
So the first key to Saturday’s Notre Dame-Michigan game is obvious:
Can the Wolverines’ defense stop the Irish attack?
ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz has his doubts.
“It’s not Michigan anymore,” Holtz said Thursday. “They don’t tackle the way Michigan did before. I know Lloyd Carr is a good coach and has a good staff, so maybe it’s [a lack of] talent. They don’t control the line of scrimmage with their front, and they don’t get as much pressure on the passer.”
The numbers back that up. The Wolverines gave up 75 points in their final two games of 2004, and NIU’s average play Saturday went for 7.2 yards.
“Now [Carr] is talking about changing the personnel,” Holtz said. “I thought that’s why you went through spring ball and fall camp, to find out who can play.”
Irish offense
“Where (Coach) Charlie (Weis) impressed me the most was that he eliminated the bad plays,” Holtz said. Notre Dame ran for 275 yards against Pittsburgh in last week’s win, and quarterback Brady Quinn found receivers open all over the field.
Michigan offense
The Wolverines used five tailbacks against NIU, and nearly every one was effective. Mike Hart, a 5-foot-8 bundle of speed and power, has topped the 100-yard mark in six of his last eight games.
The Wolverines ran for just 56 yards last year in Notre Dame’s 28-20 victory, but Hart’s number was called just five times in the game. That won’t be the case Saturday.
Irish pass defense
It ranked 116th in the nation last year, not good when you consider that there were 117 Division I-A teams. But former starters Dwight Ellick and Quentin Burrell are gone, and safety Tom Zbikowski proved to be a playmaker against Pittsburgh.
Home field advantage
The last six Notre Dame-Michigan games have been won by the home team. The Wolverines have won 16 straight at Michigan Stadium.
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WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT
Notre Dame at Michigan
11 a.m., WLS-Ch. 7
If the Irish win this one, look for first-year coach Charlie Weis to change his first name to “Knute.”
Iowa at Iowa State
2:30 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7
Back-and-forth series has featured three straight Iowa State victories (1980-82) followed by 15 in a row for Iowa (1983-97), five consecutive by the Cyclones (98-02) and two straight by the Hawkeyes (03-04). Who knew that people in Iowa would be so loyal to trends?
Northern Illinois at Northwestern
3 p.m., ESPN Classic
NIU has been good to the Wildcats over the years, providing an end in 1982 to NU’s 34-game losing streak and in 1990 to NU’s 14-game losing streak. But this season’s Huskies are nobody’s punching bag.
South Carolina at Georgia
4:30 p.m., ESPN
The last time Steve Spurrier took a team to Athens, he left with a 52-17 victory. Of course that was with Florida, not South Carolina, and the year was 1995.
Texas at Ohio State
7 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7
So what’s all the fuss about? Try this: The teams have combined for 1,353 victories, 80 bowl appearances, 55 conference titles and 10 national championships. And they never have faced off.
LSU at Arizona State
7:45 p.m., ESPN
All proceeds from the game, which was moved from Baton Rouge to Tempe, will go to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Here’s hoping for a sellout.
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Edited by Phillip Thompson (plthompson@tribune.com) and Michael Morgan (mnmorgan@tribune.com)
