Notre Football Football: Opponents Recap

September 15, 2012; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Vincent Smith (2) and quarterback Denard Robinson (16) celebrate a touchdown by Smith during the second quarter against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Navy (0-2)-The Midshipmen dropped their second game of the season to Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday, 34-7. Despite out gaining the Nittany Lions, the Midshipmen were plagued by turnovers that cost them the game. Navy looked like a more typical option attack team rushing for 255 yards on 60 attempts or a 4.3 yard average.

Purdue (2-1)-The Boilermakers rebounded after its lost to the Fighting Irish to beat Eastern Michigan 54 to 16 in Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue amassed 392 yards on the ground against the Eagles. They averaged 9.3 yards a carry. Purdue was nothing but dominant in their victory. Head Coach Danny Hope played three Quarterbacks again this week.

Michigan (2-1)-Michigan defeated Umass 63-13 at the Big House. Denard Robinson had 397 total yards against the Minutemen. 291 of those came on through the air. 106 came on the ground. Robinson did throw one interception in the game.

Miami (2-1)-The Hurricanes defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, 38-10. Duke Johnson dominated this ball game both running and catching the ball. Johnson had 94 rushing yards on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns. He added 57 yards of receiving and 1 touchdown. Bethune-Cookman dominated the time of possession 36:57 to 23:03. In addition, they rushed 233 yards against the Hurricane defense.

Stanford (3-0)-In probably the biggest game of the weekend, the Cardinal upset Matt Barkley and USC, 21-14. The night belonged to Stepfan Taylor who had 153 yards on 27 carries. He also had 5 carries for 60 yards. Cardinal Quarterback Josh Nunes was 15 for 32 for 215 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Cardinal have defeated the Trojans four years in a row.

BYU (2-1)-In the rivalry known as the “Holy War”, the Cougars fell to the Utah Utes 24-21. In a bizarre ending, the Utah fans almost cost them the game. After blocking BYU’s 51-yard field goal attempt, the Utah fans rushed the field. This resulted in a 15-yard penalty. The Cougars then attempted another field goal at 36 yards. Fortunately for the fans, they missed the field goal.

Oklahoma (2-0)-The Oklahoma Sooners had a bye week.

Pittsburgh (1-2)-The Panthers rallied this week to upset #13 Virginia Tech, 35-17. Pittsburgh amassed 537 yards against the Hokie Defense. Panther Quarterback Tino Sunseri went 19 for 28 for 283 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Freshmen Running Back Rushel Shell ran for 157 on 23 carries.

Boston College (1-2)-Boston College fell to Northwestern on Saturday 22-13. Eagle Quarterback Chase Rettig continued his progression in the game, however. Rettig went 24 for 44 for 291 yards and 1 touchdown. The Eagles were held to 25 yards on the ground in the game. The Boston College Defense surrendered 560 total yards.

Wake Forest (2-1)-The Demon Deacons were hammered by Florida State, 52-0, in Doak-Campbell Stadium on Saturday. The Florida State Offense went off the charts. The Offense totaled 612 yards against the Demon Deacon Defense. As good as the Florida State Offense was the Wake Forest Offense was equally as bad. The Demon Deacons totaled 126 yards, 83 yards passing and 43 yards rushing.

USC (2-1)-The national title contender USC Trojans fell to the Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto on Saturday night. Matt Barkley struggled for the Trojans. He completed 20 of 41 passes for 254 yards. He was intercepted twice by the Cardinal defense. Equally as troubling for the Trojans was their inability to run the football. The Trojans ran for 26 total yards. Penn State Transfer Silas Redd ran for 17 yards on 13 carries.