Urban Meyer: Denard Robinson Is One Of The Best Players In the Country

Nicole Auerbach writes in USA Today that University of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is getting big time props from a big name rival head coach after his spectacular performance against Notre Dame on Saturday.

“Oh, I think he is the best player in the country right now, or one of them,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said Monday at his weekly news conference. “I haven’t seen everybody play, but I watched that one. That was ridiculous. We recruited him hard, too. We knew he was a dynamic player and a good person.”

Video: Highlights Of Michigan's Win Over Notre Dame

From the great WolverineHistorian:

Late Touchdown Propels Michigan Past Notre Dame

Denard Robinson may set a record for breaking records at this rate.

Michigan’s speedy signal caller tore up another defense for the second straight week, gashing Notre Dame for 502 total yards and scoring the winning touchdown with 27 seconds left as Michigan rallied late past the Irish, 28-24.

Robinson rushed for 258 yards and passed for another 244, breaking the Big Ten record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Last week, he rushed for a Michigan quarterback record 197 yards and racked up 383 overall in the Wolverines’ 30-10 win over Connecticut.

Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist had quite a game himself, completing 13 of 25 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns, including a 95-yard toss to Kyle Rudolph that put the Irish up 24-21 with 3:41 to play.

Robinson wouldn’t be denied, however.

Michigan got the ball back and drove 72 yards in 12 plays, eating up most of the remaining time in the game. After driving to the Notre Dame 17 yard line, Robinson threw a strike to Roy Roundtree at the two yard line that set up the winning score. On the next play, Robinson punched it in for the winner on a quarterback draw. Robinson went 5 of 6 passing for 55 yards on the drive, and rushed for an additional 17.

For those keeping track, that's every single yard on the final drive attributed to the man known as "Shoelace."

Notre Dame had one last shot with six seconds left and the ball on the Michigan 27, but Crist’s Hail Mary sailed through the back of the end zone.

The Irish looked good from the start, as Crist picked apart the Michigan defense on a 71-yard opening drive that ended with the Irish quarterback sneaking in a touchdown from inside the Michigan 1. But Crist started having trouble seeing out of his right eye, and was taken out of the game for the rest of the first half and the Irish struggled as a result.

Tommy Rees replaced Crist and promptly threw an interception to Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton on his first attempt. Robinson then hit a wide open Roy Roundtree on the next play to knot the score at 7.

After trading punts, Stephen Hopkins scored on a one-yard touchdown run to put Michigan up 14-7. Robinson closed out his amazing first half by rushing for an 87-yard touchdown, the longest run in Notre Dame Stadium history, giving him 175 rushing yards at the break.

When Crist returned after halftime, the Irish did as well. After forcing Michigan to a three-and-out, Crist hit T.J. Jones on a 51-yard strike to cut the lead to 21-14. The Irish then forced another three-play drive from Michigan and grabbed a field goal on their ensuing drive to make it 21-17.

The Irish outscored the Wolverines 10-0 in the quarter and prevented Michigan from converting a single third down.

Michigan's Denard Robinson Sets Big Ten QB Rushing Record

It was The Denard Robinson Show in South Bend Saturday afternoon, with Michigan’s sophomore quarterback compiling 502 yards of total offense in leading the Wolverines to a 28-24 victory over Notre Dame.

Robinson gained 258 yards on 28 carries, setting a Big Ten record for most rushing yards by a quarterback. (The previous record was 217 yards, set by Northwestern's Mike Kafka in 2008 versus Syracuse.) He also scored two touchdowns, one of them on an 87-yard dash, the other a two-yard run that put Michigan ahead for good with 27 seconds remaining.

In addition, Robinson completed 24-of-40 passes for 244 yards and another touchdown. That makes him the ninth quarterback in NCAA Division I history to both rush and throw for 200 yards in a game. The last signal caller to do that? West Virginia’s Pat White in 2006. 

Robinson even contributed a 29-yard pooch punt, pinning the Irish inside their 20-yard line late in the third quarter. 

Notre Dame's Crist Back For Second Half

Notre Dame junior quarterback Dayne Crist, who missed all but the Irish’s initial series of the first half, is back under center. As he did in the first half, Crist led Notre Dame to a touchdown on his first possession, hitting T.J. Jones for a 53-yard score.

(On replay, however, it appeared that Jones dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. The play was not reviewed or challenged.)

For the game thus far, Crist has completed 6-of-9 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Notre Dame Quarterback Dayne Crist Injured In 1st Quarter

After leading the Irish to a touchdown on their opening drive, Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist was taken out of the game. Crist scored a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak, and may have been hurt on the play.

According to NBC’s Alex Flanagan, Crist was having difficulty seeing out of his right eye.

Freshman Tommy Rees came in on the Irish’s second offensive series and threw an interception to Michigan’s Jonas Mouton on his first pass. Rees threw an incompletion in his next series, and was replaced by fellow freshman Nate Montana on Notre Dame’s following possession.

NBC is now reporting that Crist is feeling better and might come back to play in the third quarter.

Michigan Releases Injury Report For Notre Dame Game

Michigan's injury report was made official Thursday night:

OUT

• Offensive lineman John Ferrara, hand
• Safety-linebacker Carvin Johnson, knee
• Safety Jared Van Slyke, clavicle (out for season)
• Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, knee
• Cornerback Troy Woolfolk, ankle (likely out for season)

Michigan Vs. Notre Dame: Previewing Today's Game

(Preview from The Sports Network)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795) -- South Bend, Indiana. Television: NBC. Home Record: Michigan 1-0, Notre Dame 1-0. Away Record: Michigan 0-0, Notre Dame 0-0. Neutral Record: Michigan 0-0, Notre Dame 0-0. Conference Record: Michigan 0-0, Notre Dame 0-0. Series Record: Michigan leads, 21-15-1.

GAME NOTES: The Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will add another chapter to their storied rivalry on Saturday afternoon as they do battle in South Bend.

Many expected Michigan to have its hands full with Connecticut in the season opener, but the Wolverines were highly impressive in a 30-10 triumph. Rich Rodriguez, the head coach of the Wolverines, needed that victory to quiet the cries of his detractors. He has failed to take Michigan to a bowl game in either of his first two seasons and finished the 2009 campaign with five straight losses to fall to 5-7 overall, including 1-7 in the Big Ten play.

As for Notre Dame, it kicked off the Brian Kelly era in impressive style with a 23-12 triumph over rival Purdue. A proven winner, Kelly resurrected both the Central Michigan and Cincinnati programs, and the fact that he led the Bearcats to a pair of BCS games speaks to his ability. Kelly takes over for Charlie Weis, who failed to elevate Notre Dame back to an elite level.

"Clearly, I was very pleased that we battled for four quarters," said Kelly after the opener. "I told them, if you just give me great effort for four quarters, we'll find a way to get it into the house. Now, we are going to have to get in a little bit more assertively at times, but that's going to come."

Michigan owns a 21-15-1 series edge over Notre Dame, including a thrilling 38-34 victory over the Fighting Irish last season.

A perceived weakness of the Michigan team heading into this season was the quarterback position, as sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson had much to prove. Judging by the opener, the Wolverines are in good hands. Robinson rushed for 197 yards against Connecticut, a school record for a quarterback. He ran for one score, passed for another and finished with 186 yards through the air.

"He threw the ball well, and he made great decisions," said coach Rodriguez of his signal caller. "He was in command, and we ran him. We have other quarterbacks that can play too, but Denard certainly took the lead today and did a great job."

Vincent Smith ran for a touchdown, as did Michael Shaw. Smith also caught a touchdown pass, and while no receiver had a breakout game, the fact that many contributed was encouraging.

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan entered this season with few experienced holdovers. The Wolverines gave up a school-worst 393.3 ypg last season and lost its three best defenders. Fortunately, the team's new 3-3-5 set worked extremely well against a UConn team that is expected to challenge for a Big East title.

Michigan allowed 343 total yards, and while the team didn't post a sack and recorded just one takeaway, the fact that it held the Huskies to 4-of-15 success on third down conversion attempts was impressive. As a result, the Huskies had possession of the ball for just over 23 minutes.

"Our guys played hard, and we have to be an active defense," said Rodriguez. "We've got to tackle well, which we did for the most part today. For the most part, I thought our young guys did pretty well for the first time playing."

Not only did Notre Dame enter the opener with a new coach, but there was a new quarterback in place as well. Dayne Crist, a junior, completed 19-of-26 passes against Purdue for 205 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.

"I would say that if we were looking at his performance, he played well enough today for us to get a win against a good opponent, but there's great room for improvement," said coach Kelly of Crist. "I think we would probably be in agreement on that."

Standout receiver Michael Floyd made five catches for 82 yards, while stud tight end Kyle Rudolph made five catches as well. Notre Dame finished with 358 yards and 20 first downs, and while the production could have been better, the Irish have to be encouraged by the fact that Crist didn't turn the ball over.

Give credit to the Notre Dame defense, as it allowed just one touchdown to Purdue. The Boilermakers were only able to post 102 rushing yards on 32 carries, and while they did complete 31-of-42 passes, the Irish limited those connections to 220 yards and also recorded a pair of interceptions.

In what figures to be a tight game from start to finish, a narrow edge goes to Notre Dame. Michigan has won some thrillers over the Irish in recent years, and the Fighting Irish will get some revenge.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 20

September 11th, 3:30 p.m. (et)

Michigan Vs. Notre Dame: Updating The Wolverines' Injuries

Michigan received some injury scares during Saturday's opener against UConn, but it appears that only two of those injuries will have an effect on the Wolverines going forward.

The most serious injury from Saturday's game involves Carvin Johnson, who started at spur for Michigan. Johnson sprained his MCL and is "very doubtful" for the Notre Dame game. Roy Roundtree is doubtful for the ND game as well because of the hard hit he took against UConn, which has led to internal bruising.

Junior Hemingway, who missed Saturday's game with a hamstring injury, should be in the lineup for Michigan in South Bend. That is good news for the Wolverines, as he is one of Michigan's better downfield threats. Plus if Roundtree is out, Michigan needs to get Hemingway back.

Jared Van Slyke, a backup safety and holder, is out for the season. His injury forced true freshman slot receiver Drew Dileo to be the holder, and the unpreparedness was evident, as Michigan missed an extra point due to a botched hold. Hopefully with a full week to practice holding the ball, any issues with field goals will be ironed out.

The last injury update involves Fitzgerald Toussaint. He was out Saturday and appears to be questionable for the Notre Dame game. Even if he is able to play, it remains to be seen if he actually will get into the game, as Michigan played only two running backs against UConn.

Denard Robinson, David Molk and Jonas Mouton all left the UConn game because of injuries but quickly returned. Whatever issues they had against UConn don't appear to be anything serious, as there were no updates on them during today's press conference.