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Go Blue Game Day October 26, 2019 Michigan vs Notre Dame

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Barry Gallagher

Go Blue Game Day October 26, 2019 Michigan vs Notre Dame

Hello again Wolverine Football fans - today is another Go Blue Game Day post – Michigan vs Notre Dame football 2019. Yes, another week and another top ten opponent. Michigan really bounced back from a dismal first half at Penn State. Hopefully, the Wolverines will get off to a fast start tonight and then finish STRONG! If the Wolverines play the way they played in the second half of last week’s game, it could be a fun night in The Big House.

(Note - Desmond Howard’s spectacular catch in 1991 helped seal the deal in a 24-14 win over Notre Dame at The Big House. Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.)

Today’s Michigan vs Notre Dame contest marks the forty-fourth game between these two long-time rivals. It is the first time in this series that these teams have met on the twenty-sixth.

Before I get into my predictions about today’s game, let’s take a closer look at what has happened when Michigan plays on October 26^th. Then, we will shift our attention to the long and rich history of Michigan vs Notre Dame and talk about who wins this game and why.

Calendar History:

Today’s game is the fifteenth game in Michigan Football History on the 26^th day of October. So far, the Wolverines own a record of 10 wins, 5 losses and 0 ties on this day. That works out to a winning percentage of just over sixty-six (.667). Yes, our beloved Wolverines have been good on this day, but not great. .

Michigan has a very good record of 7 wins, 2 losses and 0 ties for all home games played on this day. They are not as good on the road with a 3 wins and 3 losses when playing on the road. This is good news because today’s game is at The Big House. The numbers displayed below summarize Michigan’s overall performance on this day. Yes, October 26^th is another good day to play football at Michigan, especially in The Big House!

Type Game	# of Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Win %
Non-Conference	6	5	1	0	.833
Conference	9	5	4	0	.556
All Games	15	10	5	0	.667

 

Here is a little more history about Michigan Football on the 26^th day of October:

• 1895 – Michigan hosted a Chicago area team called Rush Lake Forest. Michigan prevailed over their Windy City guests by a score of 40-0.
• 1901 – The Wolverines recorded their biggest win ever on this day with a 128-0 win over Buffalo at Ferry Field Ouch!.
• 2002 – The Maize and Blue footballers suffered their biggest loss ever on this day – a 9-34 set-back to Iowa – on Homecoming no less – ugh! This was also the last time the Wolverines played on this October day.

Again, tonight’s game will be the first one that Michigan and Notre Dame have ever played on the twenty-sixth day of October. The Wolverines have played Minnesota five times on this day (1957, 1963, 1968, 1974, and 1996). They have a record of 4-1-0 against the Gophers in those games. Michigan has also played Illinois twice (1929 and 1946) on October 26^th and lost both games.

Other Notable Wolverine Performances on October 26th:

• 1907 – Michigan posted their first ever road shutout with a 22-0 victory over OSU.     It’s always sweet to beat the Buckeyes, but a shutout victory is something special.
• 1940 – The Wolverines defeated Pennsylvania by a score of 14-0. It was the first time that a ranked Michigan team (#3 actually) defeated a ranked opponent (Penn was #8).
• 1974 – Bo’s biggest conference win on this day was a 49-0 Homecoming victory over Minnesota.
• 1968 – Bump Elliott’s last win over Indiana was 27-22 victory in Bloomington, Indiana. Ron Johnson scored a touchdown and rushed for 163-yards on 34 carries. Quarterback Dennis Brown completed 14 of 30 passes for 162-yards and 2 touchdowns.
• 1974 – Bo’s first win on this day was a nice 24-20 victory in Madison.
• 1996 – Coach Carr’s Wolverines feasted on the Gophers again in Minneapolis with a 44-10 win.

Michigan vs Notre Dame Program Summaries:

Here is a quick look at the “Tale of the Tape” for two of college football’s winningest football teams:

Program Area	Notre Dame	Michigan
First Football Season	1887	1879
Total Wins	903	958
Total Losses	326	344
Total Ties	42	36
Winning %	.727	.729
National Championships	11	11
Heisman Winners	7	3
All-Americans (Consensus)	101	83

 

Michigan vs Notre Dame Series History:

Michigan and Notre Dame have a lot of history that they share, but not a lot of games. Here is what the series looks like going into tonight’s game:

Type Game	# of Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Win %
Ann Arbor	21	14	7	0	.667
South Bend	21	9	11	1	.452
Neutral	1	1	0	0	1.000
Series Total	43	24	18	1	.570

Here is a quick look at one of the greatest plays in this series - for Michigan fans! Thanks to Intersport Chicago for this timeless video:

Some Quick Series Highlights Since 1887:

• 1887 – The first game against Notre Dame took place in South Bend, Indiana. Michigan actually came to teach the game of football to some eager Irishmen. After some planned “instructional time,” a short game was played and Michigan claimed an 8-0 win.
• 1898 – The first home game for Michigan and the visitors from South Bend took place at Ferry Field. The Wolverines posted a 23-0 victory.
• 2003 – Lloyd Carr’s Wolverines posted Michigan’s biggest margin of victory against Notre Dame in a 38-0 win in Ann Arbor. Michigan duplicated that big win in Coach Carr’s final season in 2007.
• 2014 – Notre Dame’s biggest series win was a 0-31 victory in South Bend.

Michigan owns the longest winning streak in the series – 8 games. This feat was accomplished between 1887 and 1908. The Irish defeated the Wolverines in four straight games between 1987 and 1990.

Yes, the overall numbers in this series favor Michigan, especially when they play in The Big House. In fact, they are perfect in night games against the Irish at Ann Arbor (2-0-0). Of course, all that history has nothing to do with who wins today’s game, but it does tell us that the Wolverines do have a BIG chance to send the Irish home with another late-night loss. Go Blue!

Other Notable Michigan vs Notre Dame Games:

• 1902 – Fielding Yost’s Wolverines defeated Notre Dame – 23-0.
• 1942 – Fritz Crisler’s sixth-ranked footballers defeated #4 Notre Dame by a score of 32-20.
• 1978 – The series finally resumed after the last game in 1943. Bo’s fifth-ranked Wolverines knocked off the Irish 28-14.
• 1991 – Desmond Howard garnered a lot of Heisman attention with his famous catch against Notre Dame to seal the deal. Wolverines won 24-14.
• 2011 – Denard Robinson and Roy Roundtree team up for one the winning score and the Wolverines celebrate a 35-31 victory. The first night game in Big House history is probably Michigan’s most exciting home win ever!
• 2013 – The second night game in Michigan Stadium history was a huge win for Brady Hoke and his Wolverines. Devin Gardner was spectacular (1 rushing touchdown and 4 TD passes) in this game and so was Jeremy Gallon (3 touchdown receptions).

 

Michigan vs Notre Dame 2019 - My Prediction:

Michigan will win today if, and only if, they can win hold Notre Dame to ten points or less in the first half. The Wolverines cannot get in a deep hole and expect to come back against the Irish. Yes, this will be another BIG BOY FOOTBALL GAME. Both rosters are filled with four and five-star players.

The Wolverines will play their best game of the season - for four quarters. They will be rewarded with a hard-fought win. However, it won’t be easy because both teams will make big plays on both sides of the ball. Once again, I look for a one-score victory margin in this very important game.

Final Score: Michigan 24 Notre Dame 21. Go Blue!