Rich Rodriguez’s first 603 days as Michigan’s head football coach didn’t go so swimmingly.

So after the Wolverines’ 38-34 upset victory of No. 18 Notre Dame, it’s understandable he was acting unusual on day 604.

“He was actually in a different mood than I rarely see — he was all bubbly and happy like he won a million dollars,” junior safety Troy Woolfolk said. “It was equivalent to that because he knows this game was a big step to getting back the old respect we had.”

You could say that “old respect” last came when Michigan upset Florida in the 2008 Capital One Bowl, or even as far back as 2006, the last time Michigan started its season 2-0.

That respect returned when the Wolverines (2-0) awoke late yesterday morning to a No. 25 national ranking — Michigan’s first under Rodriguez.

It brought relief when a national audience saw true freshman quarterback Tate Forcier connect with senior wideout Greg Mathews in the Michigan end zone on a perfectly executed play with 11 seconds left in the game.

And for the first time in Rodriguez’s 21-month tenure, the win removed his head from the formidable chopping block.

Since Rodriguez left his alma mater for what has become the not-so-comfy confines of Ann Arbor, criticisms against him have mounted.

Pundits said his spread offense couldn’t work at Michigan.

His perceived coaching philosophy wasn’t up to the standards of a “Michigan Man.”

Amid recent allegations that the Wolverines exceeded NCAA limits on practice and conditioning times, Rodriguez could not escape questions about his character.

Winning big in a rivalry game will quiet a lot of criticisms. But winning his way makes those criticisms barely audible.

“I said this for the last nine months — our guys have been all in,” Rodriguez said. “To watch the way they work, legally, to watch the way they go through practice to see 25-30 kids or more on Saturdays in the offseason in the summer, calling us up and saying, 'Open the building up, we want to go in there.' It’s tremendous the commitment they want. They’re all hungry. And that’s the key.”

On Saturday, the Wolverines won in Rodriguez fashion. His gutsy playcalling in the fourth quarter led Michigan to a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal.

When the defense stumbled and allowed Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen to throw for 336 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and the Irish (1-1) gained the lead on back-to-back fourth-quarter touchdowns, Rodriguez showed why he can win.

The quarterback he recruited and signed looked like a hero in just his second-ever collegiate game. Forcier’s 240 yards, 69.7 completion percentage and veteran-like poise earned him praise from every teammate, coach and maize-clad fan. But immediately following the game, you couldn’t miss Foricer’s biggest admirer. As the field turned into a sea of commotion, Rodriguez embraced Forcier and ruffled his light brown locks to congratulate the 19-year-old on one of the biggest games of both of their careers.

And the veterans, the most obvious reminders of the Lloyd Carr administration, looked like they had been Rodriguez's players all along.

Mathews' fourth-quarter catch erased his unfulfilling junior year and rekindled the promise fans saw in him with Chad Henne under center.

Minor’s 106 yards on 11 carries reminded everyone that it’s not just Rodriguez’s recruits that want to run his offense.

“Yeah, you know, I told Coach Rod, I told everybody we about to make history,” Minor said on the field, seconds after Michigan's win. “I told them this our time.”