Nocturnal Omissions

The distance between Michigan Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium, site of opening night for the Wolverines' 2018 season, is a scant 150 miles. When the sun sets, however, the two venues couldn't be further apart.

While the Wolverines have built two dreamy evenings around beating the Fighting Irish under the lights at the Big House in recent years——the 17-point comeback and last-minute heroics that crushed the domers in 2011, then last year's methodical destruction——their nighttime ventures just south of the Indiana border have been a nightmare.

Let the record state that not once in five tries have they scheduled a primetime matchup in South Bend that they could put in the books as a W.

The Wolverines' first venture was the first night game ever played at Notre Dame, in 1982. Deeply invested in the Gerry Faust regime at the time——with new uniforms to match, worthy of an Ohio high school team (see program below)——the 20th-ranked Irish rode the strength of a packed house of screaming fans (as loud as 59,000 fans can be) to upset #10 Michigan, 23-17, limiting all-american wideout Anthony Carter to one measly albeit spectacular punt return touchdown.

This was also back in the day of Masco portable lighting, as Notre Dame Stadium had no permanent stadium lights back then. So four towers at each corner of the field were charged with generating enough light to illuminate the entire playing surface, leading to players accidentally getting an eyeful of the intense beams and losing sight of the ball, or an approaching opponent.

The nighttime football experiment proved successful in South Bend as Notre Dame would host other primetime contests during the 1980s and 1990s, ultimately installing permanent lights when the school expanded the stadium's capacity to 80,000 in 1997.

Michigan's next excursion to college football's self-appointed cathederal came in 1988. The #9 Wolverines were underdogs to #13 Notre Dame despite the higher ranking. And the team they faced was formidable indeed. Quarterback Tony Rice and tailback Ricky Waters tore up the Wolverine defense for 200 second-half yards, while Reggie Ho added his name to the long list of formerly unknown kickers who would crush the hearts of the maize and blue faithful. His four field goals nearly outscored Michigan's entire offense, the last being a 48-yarder with 1:13 remaining that proved to be the winning points. Mike Gillette, the kicker with a cannon for a leg, missed a 48-yarder of his own on the game's final play.

As it turned out, this game was a mere appetizer for the Wolverine heartbreak entree that was served up the following week. Bo Schembechler's boys couldn't hold onto a seemingly secure 16-point lead over Jimmy Johnson's #1-ranked Miami Hurricanes and lost, 31-30. The Irish, on the other hand, never looked back and, despite the graduation of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, captured the national title with a Fiesta Bowl victory over West Virginia.

Fate was just as unkind to the Wolverines on their next trip to South Bend in 1990. Let by the good-as-gold Ohio tandem of QB Elvis Grbac and SE Desmond Howard, Michigan was in cruise control with a 24-14 second-half lead over the top-ranked Irish, destined to break their three-game losing streak at the hands of the evil Irish empire.

Until the collapse. After pushing the Notre Dame defense all over the field with punishing runs, coach Gary Moeller decided to take the foot off the neck on first and goal. Grbac tossed a pillow into the hands of linebacker Michael Stonebraker to kill the drive. Then, facing a third-and-17 deep in their own territory, Irish quarterback Rick Mirer heaved a desperate throw downfield, in the vacinity of spark plug wideout Raghib Ismael. As Irish luck would have it, the ball skipped off Ismael's helmet and hit receiver Lake Dawson in stride.

Mirer connected with Adrian Jarrell in the final minutes for the winning TD and Notre Dame extended its streak over Michigan to four games, ruining Moeller's coaching debut and causing me to get physically ill (the last time a sporting event would cause such a reaction… but then, the Irish haven't won two years in a row since).

Three trips to Indianatucky, and three defeats.

Prior to Michigan's 2012 visit, the 18th-ranked Wolverines had put together wins over Air Force and UMass after opening the season on the bloody end of a thorough Bama butt-whooping in the Jerrydome, and had hoped to recapture the "Under The Lights" magic from the previous year's victory at the Big House. No such luck. Denard Robinson (see my pic) looked more bewildered than heroic, throwing interceptions on four straight plays——twice to Heisman runner-up Manti Te'o——setting a Michigan all-time record for consecutive throws to the other team. Despite a seven-minute advantage in time of possession the maize and blue never found the end zone all evening, and the Irish prevailed, 13-6.

As was the case in 1988, Notre Dame continued their winning ways all season long, reaching the BCS Championship Game where the Crimson Tide delivered a beating nearly identical to the one they handed Michigan. As was the case in 1982, the 2012 Wolverines went on to lose the biggest games on their schedule, finishing with an underwhelming 7-5 record.

Then, the night terror of 2014. A 31-0 defeat on what was understood at the time as the last scheduled meeting between the two schools. As in, maybe ever. Aside from the 31-7 defeat to Minnesota later that season, when a dazed and dizzy quarterback Shane Morris was sent back into the game moments after suffering an obvious concussion, this effort has come to epitomize the latter years of the Brady Hoke era. A headphoneless coach who returned Michigan to the forefront of national recruiting yet gradually lost control of his team, allowing the first shutout to a Wolverine football team in 30 years.

Two years ago the rivalry was renewed for home-and-home matchups in 2018 and 2019. So this Saturday night may be the very last chance to notch a victory under the watching eyes of Touchdown Jesus. A loss could render the Wolverines winless in South Bend for nocturnal eternity, or until the two schools get their heads straight and decide to maintain one of college football's greatest rivalries well into the twenty-first century.

On a personal note, I am unbeaten as a fan watching the Wolverines play at Notre Dame Stadium. I've seen Michigan twice: the 47-21 demolition of the second-ranked Irish in 2006, and the 2010 game where Denard ran and passed for a staggering 502 total yards, including the winning touchdown run with 27 seconds remaining.

Do I dare put MY perfect record on the line this year, or should I take this perfection to the grave with me? Unfortunately an out-of-town family wedding will have me in California over Labor Day weekend as sealed my fate. Even if I were in town and available for a drive to South Bend, the $400 get-in price should give you my answer.