Jack Cooley hit the deck for a loose ball and fell into the padding below the basket, but the bruises couldn’t slow down the 6-foot-9 Irish forward Saturday against DePaul.SOUTH BEND – Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson got plenty of people’s attention in his first college start.
Count Notre Dame among them after what the sophomore did in a 30-10 win over Connecticut last weekend.
“Obviously, Denard Robinson had a terrific game, a breakout game,” said coach Brian Kelly, whose Irish (1-0) play host to Michigan (1-0) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Robinson ran for a Michigan quarterback-record 197 yards and threw for 186 yards and had two touchdowns against the Huskies. He accounted for 383 of the Wolverines’ 473 yards.
Robinson’s passing ability – he completed 19 of 22 against Connecticut – is something the Irish didn’t see from the quarterback last year, when he had 21 rushing yards on four carries in a reserve role in Michigan’s 38-34 victory.
“He is real athletic, real fast and he can throw it,” said Irish safety Harrison Smith, who compared Robinson with former West Virginia quarterback Pat White, who played for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.
“We are going to be locked into what he is doing.”
Notre Dame’s switch to a 3-4 defense, which blitzes less than last year’s 4-3 scheme, makes it better suited to contain Robinson’s dual-threat ability.
Rodriguez said the different look of the Irish defense shouldn’t be a problem for his quarterback.
“It is a little different philosophy in what they do front and coverage-wise,” Rodriguez said during a teleconference Wednesday.
“I think Denard has seen enough of it. The guys up front, they’ve seen it. It shouldn’t be anything that confuses them.”
Last season, Notre Dame blitzed on nearly every down against Michigan, leaving it vulnerable to big plays in the running game.
Michigan ran for 190 yards in last year’s matchup, including a 31-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the fourth quarter by starting quarterback Tate Forcier.
“You don’t want to have any horizontal seams, and when you blitz, naturally, vertical seams are created, and (Robinson is) a very fast player who can run forward very fast and run laterally very fast,” defensive coordinator Bob Diaco said. “(Defensive players) can’t start looking for the football. You start looking for the football, all of the sudden you’re overtaken, you’re out of your space and that’s where the ball enters.
“Everybody has to know their assignment and do their job.”
Notes: Kelly said backup center Dan Wenger suffered a concussion Tuesday, and the senior might not play again this season. Wenger also suffered a concussion Aug. 13. … Safety Jamoris Slaughter, who has a sprained ankle, is a day ahead of schedule after undergoing a procedure that is supposed to require 72 hours of immobility, according to Kelly. … Michigan safety Vladimir Emilien is transferring, Rodriguez said.
