My favorite wins all time vs each Michigan football rivals
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I have been watching Michigan football religiously since about the year 2000. There has been no shortage of joy, heartbreak, thrillers, and everything in between from the Wolverines over the years.
That same sentiment rings true when talking about rivalry games against Ohio State, Michigan State, and Notre Dame. Ivan Taylor flipped his commitment yesterday from Notre Dame to Michigan which was a big off-season win for Michigan football. It prompted me to think of the most memorable on-field wins against our rivals in my lifetime. This was a tremendously difficult list to narrow down because there are so many games I will cherish in my memory forever. However, I did it and the list goes as follows.
1. 2006 vs Notre Dame
Michigan football invaded South Bend during week three of the 2006 season. The 11th-ranked Wolverines aimed to take down Heisman hopeful Brady Quinn and the third-ranked Fighting Irish. I remember this game like it was yesterday.
Jerome Bettis went on a rant during the pregame show about how much he hated Michigan. The sun was shining and the bands were playing as the winged helmets and the golden domes took the field. College football pageantry was on full display this afternoon and Wolverine fans were in for a treat.
Less than one minute into the game, Victor Hobson intercepted Quinn and returned it for a touchdown to give the Wolverines the early 7-0 lead. A few minutes later, Chad Henne threw an interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown. Notre Dame connected for a touchdown pass a couple plays later and the score was tied 7-7 less than five minutes into the game. That would be the last bright spot for the Irish as Michigan football would go on to score 27 straight points.
Mike Hart rushed for one touchdown and Mario Manningham caught three touchdowns to put the Wolverines ahead. Notre Dame scored once more in the first half to cut the score to 34-14 going into halftime but the lead never went below 19 points the rest of the game. Michigan won 47-21 in a statement victory on the road. This one was particularly sweet because of the high expectations Notre Dame had this season. Brady Quinn had also turned into the "golden boy" for the Irish before this game. Michigan football was dominant in every phase of the game and showed their superiority from start to finish.