Michigan Football: 5 things we learned in Wolverines rout of Notre Dame

Michigan football desperately needed a win in a big game and no matter what anyone tries to say, the Wolverines got one by dominating Notre Dame.

No matter how you breakdown Michigan football’s win over Notre Dame Saturday, simply put, it was enormous for the Wolverines.

Their 45-14 domination of Notre Dame was the biggest win of the Jim Harbaugh era and it came at a critical time. The loss to Penn State last week caused Michigan football to become a long shot in the Big Ten East race and days after, rumors of Harbaugh to the NFL swirled again.

Smartly, Harbaugh rejected those rumors and he did it with a defiant tone. And whether that inspired his team or not, the Wolverines played with a chip on their shoulder Saturday night.

They had an edge, something that has been missing in the games that are most consequential.

But not Saturday night. There was no slow start. The offense was crisp and clean and against an elite program, one that was ranked No. 8 and played in the College Football Playoff a year ago, Michigan football dominated, plain and simple.

The Wolverines owned the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. UM racked up 300 yards on the ground, while Notre Dame was held to just 47. The Irish turned it over twice and got their only points on a phantom call and a garbage-time touchdown.

This was similar to the wins over Wisconsin and Penn State last season, only it will be harder for people to say this wasn’t a big game, although they will.

More likely, this is a turning point. These final four games certainly feel like they could change the feel of this program, yet before we look too far ahead, let’s examine what we learned in the stomping of Notre Dame Saturday night.