Michigan Daily: Article by Nate Sandals

Nate Sandals: Now, Michigan needs to earn some respect

By Nate Sandals
Daily Sports Editor

SOUTH BEND — Though it was a matchup between the two winningest programs in college football history, this year’s installment of Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry offered none of the usual glamour.

Without high national rankings or marquee bowl-game hopes, Saturday’s game between the Wolverines and the Fighting Irish was primarily a battle for self-respect.

Notre Dame’s senior linebacker Maurice Crum Jr. flat-out said that's what his team was playing for during the traditional campus pep rally the night before the game.

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz and his 1988 National Championship team were at the pep rally, too. But the next day it was this year’s version of the Fighting Irish that made a statement.

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