Podcast: Notre Dame Football’s Opener with Michigan May Come Down to Quarterbacks

Notre Dame Football meets Michigan on September 1st in a game that my come down to the play of each team’s quarterback.

Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame football team will have a unique challenge when the Irish face Michigan on September 1st. This offseason, Shea Patterson, former Ole Miss quarterback, was granted immediate eligibility at Michigan. Patterson will face his first tall task when the Irish welcome the Wolverines to South Bend.

There have been varying degrees of confidence on Patterson’s abilities. Some have dubbed Patterson a near savior of Michigan’s offense, while others have cited his struggles in big games as a reason for pause. Nonetheless, it’s safe to say that the addition of Patterson helps Michigan’s chances.

To a certain degree of similarity, there are varying degrees of confidence of Brandon Wimbush, as well. While Wimbush has made strides in many areas, there have been reports of continued accuracy shortcomings, especially in the short and intermediate passing games.

In truth, much of the game will be decided in the trenches. Will Notre Dame’s re-tooled offensive line be able to handle the edge rushers of Michigan? On the other side of the ball, will Michigan’s offensive line improve after a less-than-stellar season a year ago?

Each team will invariably look to establish a solid run game. However, if the line of scrimmage becomes a stalemate on both sides of the ball, both teams will turn to talented quarterbacks to make plays in the passing game.

And when it comes to receivers, both the Irish and the Wolverines have options there, as well. Again, the game may just come down to which quarterback can make the big-time throws.

Past that, which quarterback will be able to improvise outside of the pocket? Which quarterback will be able to make plays with his feet? Which quarterback will shine brightest under the lights. I’m not sure about you, but my money is on the second-year starter in his program with multiple instances of big game experience.

Whatever the case, September 1st is shaping up to be one heck of a football game with two evenly matched teams. Whatever the outcome, it should be one for the ages. For more on Notre Dame and Michigan, check out the latest episode of the Under the Dome Podcast: