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Kirk Herbstreit: Michigan will be ‘a thorn in the side’ of the remaining teams on their schedule
By Paul Harvey
Published:
That is the kind of performance fans have been waiting for!
After some up and down performances and inconsistent results this season, Michigan finally secured the signature win it was looking for. The Wolverines dominated Notre Dame from the jump and finished with an impressive 45-14 upset of the No. 8 Fighting Irish.
It pushed Michigan to an undefeated 5-0 home record on the season. It is also a second Top-15 win after previously taking down Iowa in Ann Arbor, but this game looked different.
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ESPN analyst and College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit was one person who was particularly impressed by the performance. After the hard-fought loss to Penn State, Herbstreit sees a new Michigan team that is primed for a strong tear to close the season.
Austin Nivison with The Michigan Insider shared Herbstreit’s comments from the College Football Podcast with Herbstreit and Pollack:
“You’re frustrated and shocked by Notre Dame,” Herbstreit said. “At the same time, as you said, the last six quarters, the second half at Penn State where they out-gained Penn State 230 to 80 and came up short where they dropped the ball at the end or the game is headed to overtime. Then they use that momentum to come home in the rain — they have to deal with those conditions. Notre Dame wasn’t the only team dealing with those conditions. Michigan deals with that adversity, and they sent a message that this is a different Michigan team. They have Michigan State. They have Ohio State. They’re going to be a thorn in the side for whoever is left on their schedule.”
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“I think that Michigan becomes a team, even though they have a couple losses and might not be able to get to the Big Ten Championship Game, but they could wreck some people’s dreams in the process of trying to get there,” Herbstreit said.
The teams left on Michigan’s schedule are Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State, and Ohio State. Each of those teams has at least two conference losses with the exception of one.
It is not lost on anyone that the “dreams” Herbstreit is likely talking about there are those of the No. 3 ranked and currently undefeated Buckeyes. After turning a corner against Penn State and putting together a complete game against Notre Dame, maybe there is some hope the Wolverines can pull a season-ending upset.
The good news? Jim Harbaugh and Michigan will get to take on the Buckeyes in the Big House where the Wolverines have yet to lose this season.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.