SOUTH BEND, Ind. — If Denard Robinson's performance last week was a jaw-dropper, what he did Saturday topped it.
The sophomore had 502 yards of offense, a Michigan record for a quarterback, including 258 rushing — also a school record for a quarterback.
And he capped the winning drive with a 2-yard run with 27 seconds left for a 28-24 victory in a matchup of 1-0 teams seeking a return to prominence.
"Our offense came together," said Robinson, who set both records (197 rushing, 383 total) in last week's 30-10 win over Connecticut. "The offensive line blocked; the receivers catching. Everything was clicking."
Robinson's most spectacular moment came late in the first half. He took the snap from his 13, went right, made a little cut and sprinted past the defense for 87 yards and a 21-7 lead. It was the longest run at Notre Dame Stadium and a yard shy of the longest against the Irish (Michigan State's Dick Panin in 1951).
"Once I get on the field, I don't like to be caught from behind," Robinson said. "It was like, 'I can't get caught, can't get caught.' "
Said Irish coach Brian Kelly: "He's a tough kid. You run a quarterback (28) times, you got to have toughness."
Kelly's guy was tough, too.
Dayne Crist missed most of the first half after getting blurry vision from hitting his head on the ground. But he hit tight end Kyle Rudolph on a 95-yard touchdown that put Notre Dame up with 3:41 left.
Then Robinson led Michigan on a 12-play, 72-yard drive. He picked up a first down on fourth and 1 at the Notre Dame 35. On third and 5 from the 17, he drilled a 15-yard pass to Roy Roundtree.
"(Roundtree) gave me a wink before the play," Robinson said. "And I knew I could go to him and I could count on him. And he was there."
The Irish reached the Wolverines 27 with six seconds left. But Crist threw the ball out of the end zone on the final play.
Loading...