Posted on September 15

Following last Saturday's loss to Oregon, Michigan captain Mike Hart made a guarantee.

The senior not only promised he'd get his team ready for its matchup against the Irish, but also guaranteed the team would win.

Early in today's game, Hart proved he's a man of his word. The only question was how emphatic of a statement he and the Wolverines would make.

Michigan rode the legs of Hart and the intensity of a fired up defense to rout Notre Dame, 38-0, at the Big House.

Hart rushed for 186 yards on 35 carries and scored two touchdowns.

True freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett was also effective in relief of the injured Chad Henne. Mallett completed just seven passes, but three were for touchdowns.

The Michigan (1-2) defense stifled Mallett's counterpart, fellow freshman Jimmy Clausen. Facing constant pressure all game, Clausen threw for just 74 yards.

The Irish (0-3) failed to break 80 total yards on the afternoon, in part because of Michigan's eight sacks -- 3.5 by team-leading Brandon Graham. The Wolverine defense also forced four turnovers.

By halftime, Michigan led 31-0. Notre Dame had just 11 yards of total offense, mostly due to the its negative 45 yards on the ground.

For full coverage of Saturday's Michigan-Notre Dame game, check the Daily's SportsMonday edition on Monday.