This past Saturday featured seven matchups between teams ranked in the top 25 and was dubbed, with good reason, "Separation Saturday" by ESPN, separating the men from the boys, the contenders from the wannabes.
Several exciting games drastically altered the national title landscape. LSU outlasted Auburn in a SEC slugfest, and Florida staged a late rally to bring down Tennessee in Knoxville. Meanwhile, Florida State saw its championship hopes effectively ended after falling to unranked Clemson at home. The heat is on coach Larry Coker after Miami was routed by Louisville, dropping two games in September for the first time since 1997.
However, the most devastating loss for any single team was by Notre Dame, who fell victim to a 47-21 shellacking by Michigan at home.
It was the most lopsided loss the Irish have suffered under second-year head coach Charlie Weis and the most points they've allowed at home in 46 years. Michigan dominated both sides of the game, stifling the high-powered Notre Dame offense while using a balanced offensive attack to confuse the Irish defense.
They won in South Bend for the first time in 12 years, and in the process silenced many who had criticized coach Lloyd Carr after the Wolverines went 7-5 last year and ended the season unranked the first time in over 20 years.
The loss had the dual effect of slapping hopeful Irish fans in the face while simultaneously catapulting the Wolverines into the race. If Michigan can stay hot over the next two months, the team's Nov. 18 match-up with perennial rival Ohio State will carry major BCS implications.
Michigan set the tone early Saturday, capitalizing on one of several Notre Dame mistakes. Only 41 seconds into the game, Irish quarterback Brady Quinn found his tight end John Carlson wide open over the middle of the field. Carlson couldn't handle the throw however, and it was deflected to Michigan linebacker Prescott Burgess, who went in untouched for the score. Michigan took a 7-0 lead, and never looked back.
Notre Dame responded with a touchdown, but Michigan rolled off 27 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Among the Wolverines' scores was a 69-yard pass from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham, the first of three first-half touchdown passes by the duo.
Manningham was repeatedly able to get behind the Irish secondary, and while Henne wasn't spectacular, he ran the offense efficiently. After a first-quarter interception that set up a Notre Dame score, he settled down and finished the day with 220 passing yards to go along with his three touchdowns.
The game only got uglier as it went on. David Grimes fumbled the kickoff following Manningham's first touchdown, and the Wolverines recovered. Mike Hart ran it in from two yards out and began the rout.
In the second half, Michigan was content to rely on Hart, a workhorse running back who gained 124 yards on 31 carries, and counted on their defense to protect the lead. The defensive unit responded to the challenge, harassing Quinn all afternoon and intercepting three of his passes.
They held the Irish scoreless in the third quarter and got two field goals from Garrett Rivas to pad the lead. By the time Quinn found Rheema McKnight to cut the Michigan lead to 40-21, it was far too late. With the result all but assured, the Michigan defense scored its second touchdown of the game and put an exclamation point on a landmark win.
The Irish will be looking to regroup as they travel to Michigan State next weekend, while the Wolverines will be looking to avoid a letdown against Wisconsin in a match-up of Big Ten foes.
