Michigan offense vs. Notre Dame defense

If you saw Tate Forcier’s touchdown pass to Junior Hemingway last Saturday and got a warm, fuzzy feeling about the rest of the season, just remember: That was Western Michigan’s defense.

Notre Dame should be a much bigger challenge for Forcier and true freshman quarterback Denard Robinson. And with Hemingway questionable for Saturday, the passing game's not looking as good for the Wolverines.

Last week, the Irish defense gave head coach Charlie Weis his first career defensive shutout in South Bend with an easy 35-0 win over Nevada.

The Irish are deepest in the secondary, where they boast a contingent of four returning starters — cornerbacks Darrin Walls and Robert Blanton and safeties Kyle McCarthy and Harrison Smith. Smith moved back to his natural position this season after spending last season at outside linebacker.

On the bright side, the Irish defensive line is underdeveloped. Despite the shutout, Notre Dame surrendered 7.3 yards per rushing attempt on first down against Nevada. If tailback Carlos Brown can come through with the type of performance he showed last week, the Wolverines should pick up enough offense on the ground.

With the weak defensive line and young linebacker corps, this could be the breakout game for Robinson. The Big House just saw a glimpse of Robinson’s blazing speed last Saturday, and if Michigan can’t get its passing game going, expect to see more of him.

Edge: Push

Notre Dame offense vs. Michigan defense

The two guys to watch and potentially scream four-letter words at Saturday are Notre Dame receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd.

If Michigan beats the Fighting Irish, it will be because junior cornerback Donovan Warren and sophomore cornerback Boubacar Cissoko were able to contain one of the top receiving duos in the country.

More likely, it will be a difficult battle with Notre Dame trying to capitalize on its biggest advantage.

Warren seemed very excited for the challenge at Monday’s press conference, but he and Cissoko each must overcome height disadvantages of two-plus inches against two receivers that are great at going up and bringing down any ball nearby. Coupled with Michigan’s depth issues in the secondary and three-year starter Jimmy Clausen at quarterback for Notre Dame, this will be a much bigger challenge for the physical backs than the one posed by Western Michigan.

Irish fullback James Aldridge, a former rivals.com five-star recruit, is out for the game, which certainly hampers a rush attack that won't be as much of a concern for Michigan.

It’s all going to come down to how Weis is able to plan against Wolverine defensive coordinator Greg Robinson’s schemes, which will continue to become more and more disguised as the season progresses.

We give the advantage to the Irish, but if Warren and Cissoko keep all the big-play balls in front of them, Michigan will be in good shape.

Edge: Notre Dame

Intangibles

Somehow on the same weekend as the Southern Cal-Ohio State matchup, Michigan and Notre Dame are hogging the front page of ESPN.com.

It’s safe to say the age-old rivalry is back on the national stage.

The Wolverines are obviously looking to avenge their 3-9 season, similar to how the Irish bounced back from a terrible year two seasons ago to win a bowl game. And Notre Dame is being discussed as a potential BCS bowl contender. It’s a proving ground for both on a huge stage after each team made a name for itself in the opening week in dominant fashion.

Edge: Push

Special teams

It wasn’t spectacular, but the Wolverines’ return game against Western Michigan had to make Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez smile.

No fumbles.

It was a refreshing change from last year’s unforced error-ridden season, with the worst performance coming in South Bend where the Wolverines had four fumbles on returns.

Kickoff and punt coverage boded well for the Irish last week against Nevada, holding the Wolf Pack to just 17.6 yards per kickoff return.

Punter Zoltan Mesko is the difference maker here, averaging 47.5 yards per punt last week.

Edge: Michigan

Score: Notre Dame wins 31-27